RAMALLAH, December 1, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities have released Palestinian journalist Rasha Herzallah of the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) after serving a six-month sentence imposed by an Israeli military court.

Herzallah, a reporter for WAFA, was freed on Sunday following her six-month prison term, which concluded today. The court also imposed a 5,000 shekel fine as part of her sentence.

Herzallah had been detained by Israeli forces on June 2, 2024, after being summoned for interrogation at the Huwwara detention center. Her detention came amid ongoing concerns regarding the Israeli military's crackdown on Palestinian journalists.

Herzallah is one of at least 94 journalists detained by Israeli authorities since the beginning of Israel's ongoing genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Among those detained are four female journalists, including Herzallah, Rola Hassanin, Bushra Al-Tawil, and Amal Shuja'iyah, a journalism student from Birzeit University.

At least 16 journalists from Gaza have also been detained by the occupation since then, while 17 others from the West Bank, including Herzallah, are being held under Israel’s policy of administrative detention, which allows for indefinite imprisonment without charges or trial.

M.N

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