DUBAI: The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on Israeli authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release the journalists arrested at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City this week. During a raid on the hospital on Monday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers reportedly arrested journalists including Mahmoud Elewa, a freelance correspondent for Al Jazeera TV, and Mohamad Arab, a freelance journalist with Al-Araby TV. At least 80 people were detained, according to some reports, with the IDF saying it had taken control of the hospital to “thwart terrorist activity” after receiving “concrete intelligence” that high-ranking Hamas members had gathered there. Al Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul was among those arrested. He was physically attacked and detained at an unknown location before being released 12 hours later. He said most of the Al Jazeera crew members were eventually released, but he was unsure about the status of every team member as their mobile phones, laptops and equipment had been destroyed by Israeli forces. Due to communication blackouts, media outlets were only able to confirm the arrests of Arab and Elewa on Wednesday. Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ program director, said: “The Israel Defense Forces need to be fully transparent about journalists who have been detained and refrain from any attempts to block the work of journalists at Al-Shifa hospital and all of Gaza. “CPJ is gravely concerned by these arrests and calls on the IDF to immediately release those held and provide an explanation for their arrests.” Thousands of displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the Al-Shifa hospital complex. Journalists have been working from the vicinity of the hospital since the beginning of the war, struggling with issues such as power outages and communication disruptions. CPJ reached out to the IDF’s North America desk inquiring about the journalists’ whereabouts and the reasons for their arrests, but did not receive an immediate response. The IDF on Wednesday said it had arrested “90 terrorists, questioned 300 suspects and transferred 160 for questioning” at Al-Shifa hospital. Since Oct. 7, CPJ has documented 95 journalists and media workers killed while covering the war.