BBC Condemns Israel After IDF Soldiers Strip-Searched & Detained Journalists At Gunpoint
The BBC has revealed that three of its journalists were detained at gunpoint by the Israel Defense Forces while they were reporting in southern Syria.
The BBC said the incident, which took place on May 9, was 'wholly unacceptable' and it has made a complaint to Israeli authorities. The UK national broadcaster said it is yet to receive a response. Deadline has contacted the Israeli military for comment.
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BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, a British citizen, was among the seven people held. Two other Iraqi BBC staff were part of the group, as well as three Syrian freelancers. They were in Syria to report on the demilitarised buffer zone seized by Israel following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Kilani described how they were apprehended by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Quneitra city and detained for seven hours. In a piece on the BBC News website, he recalled how he was strip-searched and grilled about his children and their ages. He recalled a gun being pointed at his head.
'I was in shock. I asked why they were doing this when they knew we were a BBC crew,' he said. '[The lead officer] said he wanted to help get us out quickly and that we had to comply with their instructions.'
Kilani said his colleagues were tied up and blindfolded, describing it as a 'horrific scene.' They were also taken to a room to be strip-searched and questioned. Kilani added that their phones and laptops were examined, and photos were deleted. He claimed they were told there would be 'worse consequences' if they approached the area again.
In a statement, the BBC said: 'The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable.'
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