In the early hours of Friday, the town of Arraba, south of Jenin, witnessed yet another assault by Israeli occupation forces, this time targeting both the voice of truth and the hand of compassion. Soldiers physically assaulted a journalist and a doctor, leaving them with bruises and injuries that required hospital treatment.
According to details emerging from the scene, journalist Ahmad Zaki Al-Aridi and physician Nidal Al-Arda were severely beaten after their homes were stormed and searched. The incident reflects a systematic policy of targeting journalists and medical professionals who play essential roles in exposing the truth and caring for civilians.
Dr Al-Arda stated that Israeli occupation soldiers blew open the door of his home and violently dragged him from the second floor, before beating him on the chest and head, causing serious contusions.
These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of press freedom, as protected under international humanitarian law, which guarantees journalists safety during conflict. Likewise, the assault on a medical professional, who is protected under the Geneva Conventions, amounts to a clear breach of international legal norms prohibiting the targeting of healthcare workers or obstruction of their humanitarian duties.
The repeated nature of these violations highlights a deliberate pattern of targeting individuals who carry out humanitarian or professional missions, whether by the written word or by healing hands. It places a grave legal and moral responsibility on the occupying power and opens the door to international accountability for escalating violations against civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories.
What happened in Arraba is not an isolated incident. It forms part of an entrenched campaign of repression aimed at silencing those who seek to reveal the truth or serve the people. A serious and urgent stance is required to ensure the protection of journalists and medical personnel, and to hold perpetrators accountable without impunity.
