Israelis round up refugee camp's men

One by one, dozens of Palestinian men with their arms raised were searched by Israeli soldiers and handcuffed today, as part of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza’s Rafah refugee camp.

The detainees were ordered to sit under an awning, ringed by barbed wire, to await questioning.

Among those held was a Palestinian man who said he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Dressed in a white coat, he held up his cuffed hand.

Since the start of the offensive in the Rafah refugee camp on Tuesday, troops have entered several neighbourhoods and ordered men out of their homes.

Today, dozens of detainees were seen sitting in the desert sands of Rafah, waiting to approach Israeli troops about 100 yards away. Each man raised his arms when called, was searched by a soldier and then held up his hands for cuffing. Two soldiers sitting at a table wrote down names.

The Israeli military said dozens of Palestinians have been rounded up since Tuesday and that most were released after questioning. On Thursday, about 60 Palestinians were detained.

In previous Israeli offensives, troops have rounded up thousands of Palestinians. More than 7,000 are held by Israel on suspicion of anti-Israeli violence.