Israel detains father whose six children died in 2023 Gaza strike for 15 days
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Israeli forces detained Mustafa al-Sikali, a Gazan father who lost six children in a Dec. 8, 2023 strike, on July 21 in Qalqilya, West Bank, he told TRT Haber. He said he was held for 15 days in Ofer prison, beaten and insulted while shackled and blindfolded, then released toward Gaza via Kerem Shalom.
The December 2023 strike
Al-Sikali had left Gaza to work in Israel months before the October 2023 escalation. On Dec. 8, 2023, an Israeli strike hit a house in the Sahaba area of Gaza where 120 people had sheltered, killing six of his children, including 7-year-old triplets Kenan, Reyyan and Sened and 2-month-old Ilin. Only five people survived: his wife, one daughter and three displaced people.
Detention in Ofer prison
On July 21, 2026, Israeli forces detained al-Sikali at his home in Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank around 2 a.m., he said. He said his hands and feet were bound, his eyes were blindfolded, and he was held for about two days in an area near Tulkarem before being transferred to Ofer prison. At Ofer, he said guards beat him and others with sticks, cursed and insulted them, and dragged them while they remained shackled and blindfolded; he was held there for 15 days.
Release and Gaza toll
After 15 days, al-Sikali received a document stating he would be released for transfer to Gaza, and he was taken blindfolded and shackled to Kerem Shalom. TRT Haber reported that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 174,000 wounded in Gaza since Israel began strikes on Oct. 8, 2023. Al-Sikali said he did not understand why he was detained.
What's Next
Al-Sikali said he is now in Gaza with his wife and surviving daughter, but no formal complaint or legal process has been announced. It remains unclear whether Israeli authorities will respond to the abuse allegations or whether any independent review will follow.
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Israel detains father whose six children died in 2023 Gaza strike for 15 days
