Several journalists detained by Israeli forces at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army on Monday arrested several journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, according to witnesses.

“They were brutally beaten by Israeli forces, blindfolded and taken into custody,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

The Qatar-based Al Jazeera television confirmed that its correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul was among the detained journalists.

Early Monday, the Israeli army announced that its forces stormed the Al-Shifa Hospital, which houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, around 80 Palestinians were detained from inside the facility.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,800 others injured, besides mass destruction, displacement and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60%of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul