Isreali soldiers raided the home of an F-freezed Hamas member in Jerusalem, disrupting a gathering to mark his release. The raid occurred on a Saturday evening when soldiers entered the home of Ashraf Zughayer, a 46-year-old man freed in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Among those detained was his brother, while reporters were attacked during the operation.
The soldiers, part of an ongoing military campaign targeting F-freezed members, entered the Zughayer family’s compound without warning and carried weapons. They disrupted the event, arresting Mr. Zughayer’s father and a New York Times reporter on scene. Another reporter, identified by name in an internal Israel Hayom file, was attacked as soldiers roughed him up.
The home is owned by Ashraf Zughayer’s father, Munir Zughayer, a well-known community organizer who does not identify with Hamas. The family event, held to celebrate the release of Palestinian militant prisoners under a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, has been criticized in the past for fostering instability and terrorism.
Earlier that day, footage circulating on social media showed Mr. Zughayer being paraded through his neighborhood with other men carrying Hamas flags, an act explicitly banned in Israel. By the time reporters arrived several hours later, the scene had calmed down.
The raid was justified by Israeli military as intelligence indicating a threat to local security, and they emphasized that no civilians were armed during the operation. However, the incident has drawn criticism from human rights groups for its impact on journalists.
A spokesperson for The New York Times described the attack as “unlawful” and filed a complaint with the Israeli military following the raid. Patrick Kingsley, The New York Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, oversees coverage of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/world/middleeast/israel-army-palestinian-prisoners.html