RAMALLAH, January 1, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed on Thursday that in 2025, the Israeli occupation authorities continued their systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists through arbitrary detention, physical assault, expulsion, equipment confiscation, and forced interrogation, all aimed at silencing Palestinian press coverage and disrupting the national media infrastructure.
The Syndicate's Freedoms Committee reported 42 cases of Palestinian journalists being detained in 2025, with arrests occurring in the West Bank, occupied Jerusalem, inside Israel, at military checkpoints, crossing points, during field coverage, and during home raids.
The Committee noted that, despite a decline in the number of detentions compared to 2023 (64 cases) and 2024 (58 cases), this does not signal an improvement in Israeli conduct. Instead, it reveals a dangerous shift from mass targeting to more focused attacks on the most influential journalists, including repeated arrests of the same individuals, expanded administrative detention without charge or trial, and the use of physical and psychological violence as a deterrent tool.
The Committee documented numerous cases of journalists being detained while performing their professional duties, including covering military incursions, settler attacks, and humanitarian work, underscoring that detention has become a tool to empty the field of witnesses and prevent the truth from being reported.
The Committee stressed that the use of administrative detention against some journalists is one of the most dangerous forms of targeting, as it occurs without a clear charge, deprives journalists of the right to defend themselves, and turns them into prisoners of conscience with no set time frame for their release, violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The year also saw a disturbing rise in the targeting of Palestinian female journalists through arrests, interrogations, and expulsions, with some being re-arrested. This trend points to a gendered form of systematic violence within the Israeli repression apparatus.
The Committee explained that these incidents are consistent with documented testimonies of foreign female journalists who faced severe violations inside Israeli prisons, suggesting that these actions could qualify as serious international crimes.
Numerous cases of journalists being beaten, threatened with weapons, dragged, humiliated, and having their cameras, phones, and journalistic equipment confiscated were also documented.
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate called on the international community, human rights organizations, the United Nations, and special rapporteurs on freedom of expression to fulfill their legal and ethical responsibilities, urgently intervene, and hold Israeli leaders accountable for their crimes against Palestinian journalism.
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