RAMALLAH, August 21, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) has called on international human rights and media organizations to urgently intervene to save the life of Palestinian journalist and detainee Ali al-Samoudi, currently held under Israeli administrative detention.
In an official statement, the Syndicate strongly condemned the ongoing targeting of the 58-year-old journalist by Israeli occupation authorities, describing his detention conditions as dire and life-threatening.
Al-Samoudi, a correspondent for Al-Quds newspaper and a producer affiliated with Al Jazeera Network, is reportedly enduring severe physical and psychological abuse, alongside a significant decline in his health, including rapid weight loss, according to his lawyer.
The PJS Freedoms Committee stated that it has documented years of systematic targeting against Al-Samoudi, including multiple detentions, injuries, and repeated assaults, all aimed at silencing him and obstructing his professional work in covering the reality on the ground.
The statement also detailed that Al-Samoudi has sustained serious injuries throughout his career as a journalist in the Jenin Governorate, northern West Bank. He has been wounded approximately 11 times, with some injuries deemed critical. His body still carries bullet and shrapnel fragments, which continue to cause him serious health complications.
The Syndicate warned of the deterioration of Al-Samoudi’s health as a result of Israel’s policy of deliberate medical neglect in prison. Al-Samoudi suffers from chronic illnesses and is denied necessary medical treatment.
Combined with the effects of previous injuries, the lack of adequate food and harsh detention conditions have resulted in severe weight loss and a deterioration in his vision.
Holding the Israeli government fully responsible for Al-Samoudi’s life, the Syndicate emphasized that his case is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic policy aimed at suppressing Palestinian journalism through killings, injuries, and arbitrary detentions, all designed to silence free voices and conceal the truth.
The statement further noted that Al-Samoudi is the key witness in the case submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Syndicate and the family of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, regarding her killing by Israeli forces. He was also part of the PJS delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva at the end of 2022, where he delivered his testimony.
The Syndicate highlighted that since October 2023, nearly 150 Palestinian journalists have been detained, with approximately 50 still in detention, the majority held under arbitrary administrative detention without charge or trial.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Ali Al-Samoudi, and called on the international community, including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), to take urgent steps to protect Palestinian journalists.
It also demanded that the Israeli authorities be held accountable before international courts for their crimes against the press and violations of freedom of expression.
T.R.
