Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Photo credit: Honenu
Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 17:32 On Sunday, June 30, security forces destroyed the newly founded community of Elei Azza, claiming that everyone present had entered an area classified as a closed military zone. The land involved is owned by the Jewish National Fund, and at the time of the incident was not designated as a closed military zone. The community was founded one week previously in the Gaza Envelope near Netiv HaAsara as part of a campaign to reestablish Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip. Six individuals, including minors, were detained at the site. One of the detainees was brought to court the following day, and the police requested a five-day remand extension for him. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom provided legal counsel to the detainees, who were released to their homes.
After the release of the detainees, Attorney Rom commented on the situation: “At a time when terrorists are being released from detention wholesale, without any oversight, the security forces find the time to detain youths on the false charge of incursion into a closed military zone. We are pleased that all of the detainees were released. We hope that the security forces will finally learn how to distinguish between friend and foe and concentrate all of their efforts on defeating the enemy.”
Today (Tuesday) the core group of founders returned to the site, being careful not to enter the adjacent closed military zone. Police officers who arrived on the scene claimed that the group was trespassing on a JNF reserve and again detained five of them. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom is providing the detainees with legal counsel.
Attorney Nati Rom: “Apparently, there are people in authority who keep finding creative ways to detain minors trying to carry out symbolic acts in a call for returning to the Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip. This detention was illegal. There was no trespassing on the part of my clients. Selective law enforcement is a scourge of democracy. It is sad to see that the Sederot Police Station caved under pressure from the upper echelons, detained minors and opened cases against them, which has not happened with any other protest. Civil rights, detainees’ rights, and freedom of expression were seriously violated.”