JERUSALEM

Israel on Saturday detained and suspended a high school teacher for speaking out against Israeli forces' attacks on civilians in Gaza and physically abusing Palestinian girls, referring to them as "child murderers."

“A high school teacher was detained and suspended from his job on the grounds that he accused Israeli soldiers of raping Palestinian women and legitimized the attacks of Hamas on October 7," the Israeli police said in a statement.

The history teacher described Israeli soldiers as "child murderers,” the police said, without providing his name or school.

According to police, the teacher "legitimized the actions of the enemy" and "aided the enemy in wartime with fabricated allegations."

In one of his posts, the high school teacher stated, "Didn't Israeli soldiers rape Palestinian women? They have been doing this since 1948, but it is not in the textbooks."

The teacher has previously shared posts criticizing Israel's violations in the occupied West Bank as well as Gaza.

In response to Israeli police killing two Palestinians, ages 14 and 24, the teacher wrote, "Today, the bloodbath continues in the West Bank."

Meanwhile, a crowd gathered in front of the District Court in West Jerusalem to protest the Israeli action against the teacher and to show their support for him. However, Israeli police later dispersed the crowd.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi