GAZA, (PIC)
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor warned of a serious deterioration of the health condition of the detained journalist, Diaa Al-Kahlout, who was arrested by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) from the northern Gaza Strip, demanding his immediate release along with all detainees.
Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement on Thursday that the family of Al-Kahlout and a number of recently released prisoners reported a serious decline in his health condition as he suffered from chest infection and hypertension one week prior to his arrest.
According to released detainees, journalist Al-Kahlout, a correspondent for The New Arab’s Arabic language service (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed), 37, was taken to a detention center in Zikim military base where he was subjected to prolonged interrogation about his journalistic work and information sources.
Al-Kahlout was arrested on Thursday December 7 from his neighborhood in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza and was forced to leave behind his 7-year-old disabled daughter under weapon threat.
Along with many other detainees, he was stripped of his clothes and severely beaten, which worsened his health condition, according to Euro-Med Monitor’s statement.
For his part, United Nations Spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed grave concern about the fate of journalist Al-Kahlout and said that the United Nations Human Rights Office is facing difficulty in obtaining information about him from Israeli authorities, noting that his arrest is further evidence of the challenges faced by journalists during their coverage of the situation in Gaza.
The Euro-Med Monitor called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to visit journalist Al-Kahlout and all detainees from Gaza, to review their health conditions, and to provide them with needed health care.
It also called on the IOF to reveal the whereabouts of journalist Al-Kahlout, to release him immediately, and to follow safety measures that guarantee safety for all journalists while performing their jobs and to stop targeting them. Around 89 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
