Haifa: Release of 5 members of the Dalasha family and extension of detention for the sixth after police assault

SadaNews - A magistrate court in Haifa released five members of the Dalasha family from the city on Sunday, while extending the detention of the sixth detainee for an additional ten days, following their arrest the day before after being subjected to an assault by the Israeli police.

The occupation police had arrested six family members, including a woman, on Saturday after assaulting them during a search of a vehicle belonging to the family in Haifa. The events escalated into confrontations involving police violence, before transferring the family members to court for their case review.

The family reported that after hours of detention, police released the young man Samer Dalasha, while his wife and two sons, Asil (22 years old) and Bassem (16 years old), along with his brothers Ali and Hamza, were brought before the court. Yesterday, the court decided to release the wife and the two sons, along with brother Ali, who was released due to suffering from a psychological condition, while extending the detention of brother Hamza for ten days.

Samer Dalasha stated that the police arrested his wife, two sons, and brothers during a search of the family vehicle, indicating that around 35 police officers were present at the scene and assaulted family members, including his brother who suffers from a mental illness.

He added that the police "used excessive force against everyone," noting that the court decided to release his wife, two sons, and brother Ali, while keeping brother Hamza detained under the pretext of finding a knife in his possession, a claim the family denies and considers an attempt to justify the assault they endured.

Dalasha emphasized that the assault on his family members, including his wife, aims to "break their spirits," considering what happened to fall within what he described as arbitrary policies and practices exercised by the police against the residents of Haifa.

He concluded by stating that the government's and police's treatment of Arab citizens has "entered a new phase of violence," affirming that "the family will remain attached to its land and Palestinian identity despite what they are subjected to."

The police have not issued any official comment on the incident or the family's statements until the time of preparing this news report.