RAMALLAH, April 30, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities released Palestinian journalist and detainee Ali Al-Sammoudi, 59, on Thursday evening following a year of arbitrary detention without charges or trial.

Al-Sammoudi appeared with significantly altered physical features upon his release, including severe weight loss attributed to systematic starvation practices within Israeli detention camps. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society cited repeated abuse, torture, denial of basic rights, and frequent transfers accompanied by assaults during his detention.

The organization noted that Al-Samoudi is among more than 3,530 administrative detainees currently imprisoned by Israel without charges or trial, as well as over 40 journalists, including four women, who remain in custody. It added that detainees are facing extremely harsh conditions within prisons.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society explained that journalists continue to be targeted through escalating detention policies aimed at restricting freedom of expression. This comes alongside ongoing reports of violence against media workers, with more than 260 journalists killed since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli aggression in October 2023, in addition to a significant rise in detention campaigns compared to previous periods of unrest.

The organization renewed its call for the immediate release of all detained journalists and called for the disclosure of the fate of journalists from Gaza who are being held under conditions of enforced disappearance.

It also called on the United Nations and international institutions to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, urging concrete action to address violations against detainees and to move beyond issuing statements and warnings.

M.N