‘I was insulted about my religion when I was detained:’ Palestinian activist

JERUSALEM, Palestine

Hanadi al-Halavani, a Palestinian activist released as part of a recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, said Israeli police raided her home in occupied East Jerusalem to arrest her and she was verbally insulted about herself and her religion.

Halavani is one of the Palestinian women known as "Murabitat" who voluntarily stands guard at the Al-Aqsa Mosque against raids by fanatic Jewish settlers.

Married and a mother of three, Halavani is frequently detained by Israeli forces.

On Oct. 9, Halavani was arrested at her home in East Jerusalem by Israeli police and held at the Damon Prison near Haifa, Israel.

The Palestinian activist was released Nov. 29 as part of the prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"My last detention was the 71st, and it was on charges of 'incitement.' Most of my detentions were for this reason. I was accused of being a member of the 'Murabitat,' which the occupying forces refer to as a 'terrorist organization,” told Halavani to Anadolu.

"They used to ring the doorbell each time, but this time they didn't even ring it. They broke in by smashing the door, I wasn't wearing my headscarf, and they didn't even show a search warrant,” she said.

“They tied my hands, forced me to lie face down. They insulted me and my religion with unspeakable words. They stepped on my Qur’an at home and abused our Prophet Mohammad," noted Halavani.

"While female police officers at the police station used to beat us, in the last arrest, male officers physically assaulted me. This time, the threat of rape was explicit. They threatened me and my children with death," she added.

Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, agreed early Thursday to extend a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip for another day to continue releasing hostages. It had been set to end on Thursday morning.

Since the initial pause began last week, 66 Israeli prisoners have been released over the course of six days in exchange for 210 Palestinians.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed more than 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.