Hamad was beaten, cuffed and led to an unknown destination, locals said.

Clashes had started in al-Khalil after a protest march against the Israeli assault on Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate criticized the arrest and accused the Israeli army of targeting journalists on duty, especially photographers.

An army spokeswoman said Hamad was released shortly after being detained.

She claimed a group of journalists was standing between Israeli forces and Palestinians, adding that when they refused to move, forces arrested Hamad.

The rest of the journalists moved after he was detained so no other arrests were made, she added.

In December 2013, the Foreign Press Association said Zionist regime forcesy deliberately targeted journalists after forces fired rubber bullets and threw a stun grenade at photojournalists clearly identified as press.

In a statement, the group said Israeli forces had directly targeted a group of photographers covering skirmishes at Qalandia crossing between al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Ramallah.

NTJ/MB