AL Jazeera has demanded the immediate release of correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and other journalists detained and beaten alongside him.
Arabic correspondent al-Ghoul and his crew were among reporters covering the Israeli army's fourth raid on the al-Shifa hospital.
The group are understood to have been arrested and severely beaten by Israeli soldiers before being dragged away.
The Qatar-based network has said it holds the Israeli army “fully responsible for their safety” and released a statement on social media calling for their immediate release.
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It said: "Today, Monday, 18 March 2024, Israeli occupation forces attacked Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul in Gaza whilst he was performing his journalistic duties, Following the attack, he was arrested, and the broadcasting vehicle along with cameras and equipment was destroyed.
"Al Jazeera Media Network demands the immediate release of its correspondent and the other journalists who were detained alongside him, and holds the occupation forces fully responsible for the safety."
It added: “The Network emphasises that this targeting serves as an intimidation tactic against journalists to deter them from reporting the horrific crimes committed by the occupation forces against innocent civilians in Gaza.
"The targeting of Ismail al-Ghoul is part of a series of systematic attacks of Al Jazeera by the occupation authorities, which included the assignation of Shireen Abu Akleh, Samer Abu daqqa, and targeting of a number of its journalists and their family members, and the arrest and intimidation of its crews."
Al Jazeera demands Israel immediately release its correspondent, Ismail al-Ghoul. pic.twitter.com/UpD7tC8Oqd
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 18, 2024
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI) also condemned the arrest, with Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of the CPJ saying "we need to document what's happening".
She said: “Journalists play an essential role in a war. They are the eyes and the ears that we need to document what’s happening, and with every journalist killed, with every journalist arrested, our ability to understand what’s happening in Gaza diminishes significantly.
“This is the worst conflict for journalists that the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever documented, and the situation is simply getting worse.”
Scott Griffen, the deputy director of the IPI, said the organisation is calling for "precise information" about al-Ghoul’s location.
He said: “This is not only threatening the lives of journalists who are on the ground trying to tell the story, but it is preventing audiences around the world from accessing the truth."
Around 95 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war started on October 7, according to the CPJ,
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