Arabic English

Qatar Press Center Condemns Arrest of Palestinian Journalist in the West Bank

The Qatar Press Center strongly condemns the arrest of Palestinian journalist Ali Al-Samoudi (55 years old) by Israeli occupation forces at dawn today, following a raid and destruction of his home in the Al-Zahraa neighborhood of Jenin, northern West Bank.

The Center affirms that such Israeli violations are part of a systematic policy targeting journalists and media professionals in Gaza and the West Bank. This includes administrative detentions, bombardments of press sites and residences, in an effort to silence free media, obscure the truth, and prevent the exposure of the occupation forces’ genocidal war against Palestinians.

The Center calls on the international community and UN, human rights, and media organizations to condemn the targeting of journalists in Gaza, the West Bank, and the occupied Palestinian territories through arrests and killings. It urges immediate action to provide protection and to hold Israel accountable before international courts for its unprecedented violations against journalists and civilians.

The Center also urges the international community to pressure Israel to release detained journalists held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, denying them their most basic rights as stipulated by international laws and conventions.

The Center notes repeated violations against Palestinian journalists during Israel’s ongoing aggression on Gaza and its incursions into the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, 15 Palestinian journalists were martyred by Israeli fire in the first quarter of this year. The Israeli army has deliberately targeted journalists since the beginning of its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, which has resulted in the killing of 216 journalists and the injury of hundreds more, according to official sources.

International Appeal

In mid-April, the Qatar Press Center issued an international appeal through official letters sent to international organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists, and Human Rights Watch. These letters called for the protection of journalists in Gaza and the West Bank and for accountability for perpetrators of attacks.

The international appeal stated:
“In light of the unprecedented and ongoing assault on Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza and the West Bank—who have become direct targets of Israel’s killing machine—the Qatar Press Center calls on international, human rights, and media organizations to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to stop the bloodshed and provide legal and logistical protection for journalists in the Palestinian territories.”

Details of the Arrest

Mohammed Al-Samoudi, the journalist’s son, confirmed that Israeli forces conducted a field interrogation with his father for about half an hour while searching the house, vandalizing its contents, and destroying parts of it. He was then taken to a military patrol and arrested, with his current place of detention still unknown.

He noted that his father previously worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera and is currently a correspondent for the local Al-Quds newspaper. He is known for his fieldwork and continuous coverage of events.

Journalist Ali Al-Samoudi had been arrested by Israeli forces during the First Intifada in 1987 and has sustained multiple injuries while covering events. Notably, he was injured while accompanying journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera correspondent, at the moment of her assassination in Jenin camp nearly three years ago.

Arrests and Repression

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed that Israeli forces have destroyed 12 homes belonging to journalists using missiles and shells and seriously injured 11 journalists.

A report by the Syndicate’s “Freedom Committee” documented 15 cases of journalists being arrested from their homes or while working in the field. Some remain in detention, while others were released after hours or days.

The report also stated that around 117 journalists—mostly from the West Bank—were subjected to assaults, suppression, or were banned from reporting, especially in Jerusalem and Jenin. Additionally, 16 documented cases involved the confiscation and destruction of work equipment.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has carried out 179 arrests of journalists. Some were released hours after being detained, while others were held for months. Currently, about 50 journalists remain in Israeli prisons.

9,900 Detainees

As of early March, the total number of Palestinian detainees and prisoners in Israeli jails exceeds 9,900, including around 400 children, 28 women, and approximately 3,405 administrative detainees.

Among them are 1,747 detainees from Gaza classified by Israeli prison authorities as “unlawful combatants,” a designation that excludes many detainees from Gaza—especially those held in military camps.