Reports out of Gaza indicate that not only has Hamas fired on its own citizens since protests against the Hamas regime started last Thursday, but 17 reporters were arrested and the U.N. envoy to Israel and the Palestinian areas said some were brutally beaten, according to The Times of Israel.
U.N. envoy to Israel and the Palestinian territories Nickolay Mladenov stated, ““I am particularly alarmed by the brutal beating of journalists and staff from the Independent Commission for Human Rights and the raiding of homes. The long-suffering people of Gaza were protesting the dire economic situation and demanded an improvement in the quality of life in the Gaza Strip. It is their right to protest without fear of reprisal.” He continued, “I call on all Palestinian factions to engage in earnest with Egypt in order to implement the Cairo Agreement (2017) in full. The United Nations will continue its efforts to avoid escalation, relieve the suffering of people in Gaza, lift the closures, and support reconciliation,” as the Jerusalem Postreported.
The Times of Israel noted that the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate acknowledged on Sunday that 17 reporters were arrested; ten were released, and four required hospital treatment. The syndicate added that security forces had beaten journalists. The Jerusalem Post added, “Eyewitnesses said that Hamas security officers also beat human rights activist Jamil Sarhan, who was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. They said that Baker al-Turkumani, a lawyer working for the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, was also beaten by Hamas officers.” – READ MORE