Israel army says ‘lessons learned’ after troops marked Palestinians

Screenshot from Israeli Member of Knesset Ahmad Tibi showing Qabatiya resident Ahmed Hatnawi marked with the number 44 written on his forehead in black permanent marker by Israeli forcesb during detention. (X: @Ahmad_tibi)

• Army was reacting to footage shared on social media in which a Palestinian with the number 44 written on his forehead in black permanent marker

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: Israel’s military said Tuesday that “lessons were learned” after soldiers were criticized for writing identification numbers on Palestinians detained during a raid in the occupied West Bank.
“Yesterday, during a brigade-level operation in the village of Qabatiya... security forces marked suspects who were questioned as part of the operation,” the military said, in a statement.
“The commanders highlighted the gravity of the incident to the forces, and lessons were learned.”
The army was reacting to footage shared on social media in which a Palestinian with the number 44 written on his forehead in black permanent marker complained of the soldiers’ behavior during their raid in the West Bank town.
“There were around 50 people in the house where they held us,” the man, Qabatiya resident Ahmed Hatnawi, told local Palestinian media.
“They treat us brutally... This is just a way of humiliating us,” said Hatnawi, who had recently been released from an Israeli jail.
Hatnawi said the army had come to warn local residents not to attack Israeli settlers newly established in the area, something residents of other communities of that region reported to AFP last week.
The Ganim settlement was inaugurated last week near Qabatiya and settlers are expected to move into another settlement, Kadim, in the near future.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, and their number has soared under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.