The Popular Committee issued a press release on Wednesday slamming the Israeli military attacks against the reporters in the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the kidnapping of reporter Mosab Husam Qataloony, 25, after breaking into his home on Tuesday at night.
Soldiers searched the home of Qataloony, confiscated his computer and several documents and took him to Huwwara military camp near Nablus. He was interrogated there for several hours and was released later on.
Secretary-general of the Popular Committees, Azmi Shiokhy, slammed the Israeli attacks against Palestinian reporters and Palestinian media outlets which escalated recently and included the kidnapping of several reporters.
Last month, the Israeli army kidnapped five reporters in the West Bank and released three of them later on. The five were identified as Mohammad Al Qeeq, Fuad Al Froukh, Rami Hajahja, Nabil Nabil, and Mohammad Marboo’. All were released later on except Al Frouk and Al Qeeq.
In May, Israeli soldiers kidnapped two reporters identified as Ashraf Kafarna and Hussein Al Rajoub. Kafarna was released later on and Al Rajoub remained in detention.
Several reporters were kidnapped and attacked by the army last year and soldiers also killed reporter Fadel Shana’a, who worked as a cameraman for Reuters in Gaza.
Reporters are frequently attacked and abused in the occupied territories, especially while reporting on peaceful protests against the Annexation Wall and settlements.
Earlier this week, Israeli settlers attacked IMEMC reporter Ghassan Bannoura in Beit Sahour town, near Bethlehem, after the settlers attacked a local park which was evacuated by the army after being used as a military camp since 1967. The army evacuated the camp in 2006 and the municipality of Beit Sahour immediately started to renovate the site and built gardens and play fields for Palestinian children to play. Additionally, there is a plan for a hospital to be built on the site as well, and the corner stone is already placed.
It is worth mentioning that fundamental Israeli groups started recently hacked several Palestinian and even Israeli websites that oppose the occupation. Two weeks ago, Israeli hackers of the Kahana Hai Israeli terrorist group managed to hack the Arabs48 news website, and the Machsom website which presents an alternative view to the Jewish readers, and uploaded statements of incitement against the Palestinians and Arabs.
Today, Wednesday July 16, Israeli hackers hacked the Palestine Future dot net website.
