Detention of journalists, storming of Youth Village, and declaration of it as a closed military zone for 24 hours

Sharek Youth Forum organized today, Thursday, a field tour for local, Arab, and international media in the Youth Village, with the aim of direct observation of the violations and coercive measures to which the village and its surroundings are subjected.

During the journey to the village, Israeli occupation forces and settlers detained the Palestine TV crew, before violations escalated immediately upon the arrival of the media delegation to the Youth Village, where occupation forces, accompanied by settlers, stormed the village, detained journalists and the Sharek Youth Forum crew, and subjected them to a field investigation.

The occupation forces informed the detainees that the Youth Village is located within what is called "Area C," and declared the place a closed military zone for 24 hours, despite the fact that approximately 70% of the Youth Village's lands are classified within "Area (B)," and without presenting any military order or legal decision justifying this declaration or permitting the prevention of entry or the exercise of civilian activities, which constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the provisions of signed agreements.

Sharek Youth Forum affirms that the Youth Village is a civilian educational and community facility protected under the rules of international humanitarian law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits targeting civilian objects, or converting them into military targets, or imposing arbitrary restrictions on workers, visitors, and journalists.

The forum emphasizes that this assault comes in the context of a systematic policy pursued by the occupation authorities aimed at restricting Palestinian civilian spaces, preventing youth and community work, restricting media and press freedom, and imposing coercive realities on the ground by declaring civilian areas as closed military zones without a legal basis.

Sharek Youth Forum calls on local, Arab, and international media to continue monitoring what is happening in the Youth Village, intensify professional coverage, and convey the reality of the violations occurring in this civilian area, thereby ensuring the public's right to know, and contributing to the protection of Palestinian civilian spaces from targeting and demolition.

These violations constitute a clear breach of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the occupying power from destroying or targeting civilian property, and also violates the rules of international humanitarian law related to the protection of civilians and civilian installations.