Israeli Army Acknowledges 'Numbering' of Palestinian Bodies During Investigation

The Israeli military confirmed reports published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz stating that numbers were written on the foreheads and bodies of Palestinians during investigations in the West Bank during an operation in Qabatiya on Monday.

Images allegedly showing one of the affected Palestinians with the number 44 written on his forehead were widely circulated across various Israeli media outlets and social media platforms.

Ahmed Tibi, an Arab opposition member of the Israeli parliament, wrote on the X platform on Tuesday: “This is what dehumanization looks like: erasing the person and turning them into a number.”

In a statement, the Israeli military said commanders had clarified to soldiers the severity of this behavior, adding that lessons had been drawn from the incident.

The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military had issued a similarly worded statement following a similar incident last April, when numbers were written on the hands of Palestinians entering a refugee camp under military control.

On Monday, the Israeli military stated that it had searched 100 buildings in Qabatiya, near the city of Jenin, and arrested two Palestinians suspected of planning attacks. It added that other individuals had been interrogated.

Reports also claimed that the affected individuals were beaten. The Israeli military initially did not comment on these allegations.

The situation in the occupied West Bank has deteriorated since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since then in Israeli military operations, armed clashes, and attacks. Violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians has also escalated sharply.