Israeli soldiers numbered Palestinian detainees on their foreheads during West Bank raid

Israeli soldiers wrote numbers on the foreheads and arms of Palestinian detainees during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, near Jenin, on Monday, according to a detainee's account corroborated by the Israeli military itself.

At least 50 residents were rounded up in the operation, including women, according to Ahmad al-Hathnawi, one of the men detained. Hathnawi told local media he was marked with the number 44 on his forehead.

Hathnawi said he has been arrested four times before but had never been marked with a number until this raid.

Army confirms the practice

Asked about the markings, the Israeli army confirmed to Israeli media that soldiers had numbered the detainees, adding only that "lessons have been learned." The military did not explain the operational purpose of the practice or say whether anyone would be disciplined.

This is not an isolated incident. The army made a nearly identical statement in April, after Palestinian women from Jenin were marked with numbers on their arms during a separate raid. In 2024, Israeli soldiers marked a group of detainees from Hebron with numbers on their foreheads. Each time, the military has acknowledged the practice after the fact rather than before it happens.

The repetition across at least three documented incidents, in different towns, over roughly two years, suggests the numbering is not a one-off lapse by individual soldiers but a recurring feature of how detainees are processed during West Bank raids.

What detainees say it means

Hathnawi said soldiers pulled him aside for interrogation during the raid and asked general questions, including remarks about settlers moving into the area. According to his account, an interrogator told him there should be no problems if settlers come and that they intend to stay.

Hathnawi said he understood the numbering and questioning as a message aimed at families in Qabatiya: resist settlement expansion around Jenin and expect this kind of treatment. Occupation Watch notes this is Hathnawi's own interpretation of the encounter, not a claim made or confirmed by the Israeli army, which has not commented on any connection between the raid and settler activity in the area.

Why the imagery matters

Marking detainees with numbers on their skin carries an obvious and painful historical resonance, and rights advocates have long warned that dehumanizing treatment during mass arrest operations in the occupied West Bank violates basic protections owed to detainees under international humanitarian law, regardless of the reason soldiers give for it.

The Israeli military's response so far has been to acknowledge the practice occurred and say lessons were learned, without addressing why it kept happening after the April incident, or what accountability, if any, followed.