Israeli Soldiers Write ID Numbers on Palestinians' Foreheads in 'Dehumanising' West Bank Raid
The military said the markings were used to identify suspects for interrogation after troops rounded up dozens of residents during the raid.
- On Monday, Israeli soldiers marked Palestinian detainees with numbers on their foreheads and arms during a military raid in Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank. The IDF stated the markings occurred during suspect interrogation.
- The IDF told Army Radio that "security forces marked suspects who were being interrogated as part of the operation." Military commanders addressed the matter with soldiers involved, saying "lessons were drawn from the matter."
- Freed detainee Ahmad Hethnawi, marked with the number 44 on his forehead, said soldiers detained at least 50 people, including women. The military raided more than 100 homes targeting two individuals it described as "terrorists."
- Footage of the markings fueled anger, with critics calling the practice "dehumanising." The IDF previously acknowledged similar incidents earlier this year in Jenin and Hebron showed "poor judgment."
- Following a 63% rise in serious settler violence, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz is transferring civilian enforcement powers from the IDF to the Israeli police. Officials recorded 660 incidents of nationalist-motivated crime in the first half of 2026.
12 Articles
12 Articles
A military operation in the West Bank makes headlines: soldiers write Palestinian numbers on the body. Such images remind us of dark times, says an opponent. The army speaks of a serious incident and draws consequences according to its own statements.
Israeli soldiers marked Palestinian detainees with numbers during their latest operations in the northern West Bank town of Qabtiya, Israeli media reported. According to the reports cited, several detainees were marked with numbers on their foreheads or bodies with a felt-tip pen before being released. The army said two Palestinians suspected of planning terror attacks were detained in the past 24 hours as part of an operation, but Palestinian s…
Israeli Soldiers Write ID Numbers on Palestinians' Foreheads in 'Dehumanising' West Bank Raid
Israeli soldiers wrote identification numbers on Palestinian men during a military raid in Qabatiya, fuelling anger over what critics called a 'dehumanising' practice. Footage shared online by Palestinian human rights advocate Ihab Hassan showed a man with the number '44' written in black marker across his forehead and arms. The man was identified in translated text accompanying the video as freed Palestinian detainee Ahmad Hethnawi. In the foot…
Israeli soldiers number Palestinian detainees on their foreheads
Israeli soldiers number Palestinian detainees on their foreheads Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 11:01 Troops round up Palestinian residents near Qabatiya and mark them with numbers before interrogating them Ahmad al-Hathnawi speaks to local media about being marked with numbers by Israeli soldiers during a military raid in Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank on 17 August 2026 (Screengrab/@qudsn/X) Off Israeli soldiers marked Pale…
'Reminiscent of dark times': Israeli soldiers marked Palestinians with numbers during interrogations
Images showing numbers written on Palestinians' faces by Israeli soldiers have sparked outrage, with Israel’s army confirming the incident and facing renewed criticism.
This is not the first case. The post Israeli soldiers release Palestinians by number after a raid in the West Bank first appeared on 24.hu.
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