Hebron/PNN /
In a distressing incident, two masked Israeli female soldiers, armed and accompanied by an attack-trained dog, reportedly compelled five Palestinian women in Hebron to undress completely inside their home. The incident unfolded during a military operation, according to Haaretz, the Hebrew newspaper.
Haaretz reported that the two Israeli soldiers, masked and carrying firearms, confronted the Palestinian women in Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank, forcing each woman, including a mother and her daughter, as well as three wives of her sons, to remove their clothing one by one. The women were then made to walk naked in front of the soldiers and some family members after a meeting between the women and members of the Palestinian family.
According to the Palestinian women, the soldiers threatened to release the attack dog on them if they did not comply with their demands. It's worth noting that male Palestinians were subjected to body searches but were not forced to undress.
This incident occurred during a military operation targeting a Palestinian family's building on July 10th of this year, following intelligence indicating the presence of weapons. The building housed 26 individuals from the same family, including 15 children and teenagers aged between 4 and 17.
Haaretz reported that the raid occurred around 1:30 AM, involving approximately 50 Israeli soldiers, accompanied by at least two dogs. The soldiers entered the homes, waking up the occupants with flashlight beams, pounding on doors, and threatening to break them down.
Family members told Haaretz that “most of the soldiers were masked, with only their eyes visible, and one of them, who appeared to be the officer in charge, wore military pants and a short-sleeved (casual) shirt.”
The women recounted how they were taken one by one into a children's room, forced to undress completely in front of frightened children who had just been awakened, and how one of the soldiers brought the large and aggressive dog so close to her that it touched her body while demanding she undress. The children screamed in fear as they witnessed the women trembling while obeying the soldiers' commands.
The soldiers detained all family members in two separate rooms, one for men and the other for women and children. They were prevented from making any noise, as some soldiers stood guard at the doors.
The soldiers left the house around 5:30 AM, having arrested the eldest son of the family. After their departure, the family discovered the disappearance of a bag containing gold jewelry, which the youngest son had purchased for his upcoming wedding, valued at around 40,000 shekels (approximately 11,000 dollars), according to Haaretz
The family filed a complaint with the police in the settlement of "Kiryat Arba," where they were informed that nothing had been stolen from them, but they insisted that a theft had occurred. The police subsequently called them to retrieve the jewelry the following day, explaining that "the soldiers mistook it for a bag of bullets.".
Additionally, the family claimed to have lost some money which they never recovered.
