Outrage Erupts After Israeli Army Confirms Soldiers Marked Palestinian Detainees With Numbers in West Bank

An Israeli military vehicle drives near the home of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi, which has been encircled by militant Israeli settlers for more than a week, after Ridi gained access to it, in Qusra, the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli army has confirmed that soldiers marked Palestinian detainees with numbers on their foreheads during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank earlier this week. Palestinian news outlets reported the incident, which took place on Monday.

According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli forces had deployed in several neighbourhoods of Qabatiya, with local sources stating that soldiers had searched a number of houses and arrested several young men. The army also stated that troops had arrested two people during the raid suspected of planning and promoting terrorist plots. However, footage published on Monday from the raid showed a Palestinian man with the number “44” written on his forehead, sparking widespread outrage.

One of the detainees, Ahmad al-Hathnawi, told Palestinian media that this was the first time the army had written numbers on his forehead. Al-Hathnawi explained he had been released from Israeli detention 10 days prior for the fourth time, noting he had never experienced anything like it before. He described the ordeal as interrogation, terrorism, and intimidation of families and freed detainees, adding that it sent a message that settlers would remain in the area for a long time. Israeli settlers, often facilitated by Israeli troops, have significantly ramped up attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks.

Al-Hathnawi stated there were about 50 detainees, including blindfolded women, in the house where he was interrogated. The practice of marking detainees with numbers is not new, having been previously reported in April when soldiers wrote numbers on the hands of Palestinian women in Jenin. At that time, the Israeli army acknowledged it was poor judgement.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli army told the Times of Israel that soldiers had marked detainees in the occupied West Bank, noting that commanders made clear the seriousness of the act and lessons have been learned. Knesset lawmaker Ahmad Tibi condemned the marking as shocking, repulsive, and a form of dehumanisation.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have escalated raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank. Illegal settlers recently put up tents to create a new settlement outpost near Ramallah, while another group continues to besiege Qusra. The mayor of Qusra warned that food supplies for besieged families would run out within two days. The Palestinian prime minister’s office reported more than 467 attacks against Palestinians in just one week, including the demolition of at least 75 homes and structures. United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese stated that settler violence and the ongoing siege had reached a climax, accusing Israel of outsourcing coercion to advance ethnic cleansing.