Palestinians stand on a street in Jenin that was damaged during the Israeli forces' raid. Photo: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters.
Tel Aviv continues to violently crack down on Palestinians in the West Bank as the war in Gaza extends to its 24th day
The director of Al-Mayadeen‘s bureau in Palestine, Nasser al-Laham, confirmed that Israeli troops violently raided his home in Beit Lahm in the southern West Bank in the early hours of 31 October.
"انتقام الاحتلال من أهالي الضفة الغربية والإعلاميين هو رد فعل متوقع سببه هزيمة إسرائيل في 7 أكتوبر".
مدير كتب #الميادين في فلسطين المحتلة ناصر اللحام #طوفان_الأقصى #فلسطين #غزة @nasserlaham4 pic.twitter.com/sm7zZQoecG
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) October 31, 2023
His wife was reportedly assaulted, and his two sons were arrested temporarily during the raid.
Laham said his children experienced “what all the children of the West Bank are experiencing,” mentioning that he’s hesitant to talk about his experience given the ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza.
“When one sees homes being demolished and innocent lives lost in Gaza, it would be extremely hard to compare the suffering of Gazans to mere arrests and physical assaults,” Laham said. “A person is ashamed to talk about his concern when he watches through the screens what is happening to our people in Gaza.”
Laham described the attack on his home, saying that they raided his house despite the knowledge that it housed a broadcasting studio, later adding that the Israeli force pillaged his home and abruptly searched his sons’ rooms, intimidating them during the process.
His kids, Bassil and Bassel, were arrested. Bassil would be released later after being beaten, while Bassel, who’s secretary of the Fatah movement at Beit Lahm University, remains detained.
Laham mentioned that the Israeli forces used sledgehammers to break through the doors and walls of his house, saying that situation was similar to “military operations, not civilian arrests.”
The West Bank has seen its share of violence since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on 7 October.
More than 110 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the violence by both armed settlers and soldiers. At least 34 of the victims have been journalists.
Last week, Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael al-Dahduh lost his wife, daughter, and son during an Israeli airstrike while reporting on the Israeli violence against the Palestinians.
