Israel numbers Palestinian detainee foreheads: What we know

EXPLAINERPalestinian news outlets reported a man with the number ‘44’ written on his forehead following a raid in Qabatiya.An Israeli military vehicle drives near the home of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi, which has been encircled by militant Israeli settlers for more than a week, after Ridi gained access to it, in Qusra, the Israeli-occupied West Bank [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]Published On 19 Aug 2026The Israeli army has confirmed that soldiers marked Palestinian detainees with numbers on their foreheads during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.Palestinian news outlets reported the incident, which took place on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli strike reported to kill at least six in Gaza Citylist 2 of 3US ambassador to Israel calls settler violence ‘terror’list 3 of 3Breastfeeding in Gaza: Mothers seek help to provide for their babiesend of listAccording to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli forces had deployed in several neighbourhoods of Qabatiya, with local sources telling the news agency that soldiers had searched a number of houses and arrested several young men.The army also said in a statement that troops had arrested two people during the raid who were suspected of “planning and promoting terrorist plots”.However, footage published on Monday from the raid showed a Palestinian man with the number “44” written on his forehead, sparking outrage.Here’s what we know.What happened?One of the detainees, Ahmad al-Hathnawi, who was marked with the number, told Palestinian media that this was the first time that the army had written numbers on his forehead.Al-Hathnawi explained that he had been released from Israeli detention 10 days ago for the fourth time, but said that he had never experienced something like this before.“It was just interrogation and terrorism, intimidation of the families and the freed detainees,” he said.“They are basically trying to send a message that if settlers come into the area, there will be no problems, and that the settlers are going to remain here for a long time,” he added.Israeli settlers, often tacitly or overtly facilitated by Israeli troops, have in recent weeks significantly ramped up attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.Al-Hathnawi explained that there were about “50 detainees, including blindfolded women, in the house” where he was interrogated.But the practice of marking Palestinian detainees with numbers is not new, and was previously reported in April after soldiers had written numbers on the hands of Palestinian women in Jenin. At the time, the Israeli army acknowledged that it was “poor judgement”.What has the army said?In a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli army told the Times of Israel that soldiers had marked detainees in the occupied West Bank.“Commanders made clear to the troops the seriousness of the act, and lessons have been learned,” the military said.Knesset lawmaker Ahmad Tibi condemned the marking and called it “shocking and repulsive” in a post on X.“This is what dehumanisation looks like: erasing the person and turning them into a number. An image that recalls dark periods and should shock every person,” he wrote.What is going on in the West Bank?Israeli forces have ramped up their campaign of raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank.On Monday, illegal settlers put up tents on Palestinian land to create a new settlement outpost near Ramallah, while another group of settlers continues to besiege the village of Qusra, now for the 11th day.The mayor of Qusra told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that he fears the siege of families in the town could represent a “new approach” aimed at forcing Palestinians from their homes.He added that the families’ food supplies would run out within two days and that they urgently needed supplies and medicines.At the same time, the Palestinian prime minister’s office said on Wednesday that Israeli forces and settlers had carried out “more than 467 attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in just one week”.“At least 75 Palestinian homes and structures were demolished. A relentless escalation of violence, dispossession, and destruction,” the office wrote on X.On Sunday, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, told Al Jazeera that settler violence and the ongoing siege in Qusra had reached a “climax”.“Israel has outsourced coercion to the settlers and is using them to advance ethnic cleansing,” Albanese said. “This is a crime… This is utter terrorism; these settlers should be investigated and prosecuted.”