The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee has documented a sharp escalation in Israel’s targeting of Palestinian journalists since the start of 2026, recording 22 abductions so far, including four female journalists.
According to the committee’s data, the abductions occurred during Israeli military invasions of journalists’ homes, at military roadblocks, and while journalists were carrying out their professional duties in the field.
Several cases also involved administrative detention orders issued without charge, alongside financial penalties and restrictive measures such as house arrest and forced displacement.
The committee recorded 13 abductions in January, seven in February, and two so far in March.
The data shows that a number of detained journalists were placed under administrative detention — imprisonment without charge or trial — with orders ranging between four and six months.
The committee also documented the abduction of four Palestinian female journalists since the beginning of the year: Enas Khalawi, Bushra al‑Tawil, photojournalist Nisreen Salem, and Nawal Hijazi.
Several of these cases were accompanied by heavy fines or restrictive conditions, including house arrest, bans on accessing the Al‑Aqsa Mosque, or prohibitions on using social media.
The Freedoms Committee noted that these abductions were frequently accompanied by additional violations, including the invasion of journalists’ homes, destruction of furniture, damage to personal belongings, confiscation of phones and press equipment, the imposition of steep fines, and orders barring journalists from Al‑Aqsa Mosque or other areas.
The committee also documented cases in which journalists were abducted while documenting illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizer attacks or colonization projects in the occupied West Bank — a pattern that reflects a clear attempt to suppress on‑the‑ground reporting.
The abductions were recorded across several governorates, including Jerusalem, Ramallah and al‑Bireh, Hebron, Tulkarem, Nablus, and Jenin, in addition to cases that occurred at military roadblocks between Palestinian cities.
The Freedoms Committee warned that the continued targeting of journalists represents a dangerous escalation in Israel’s efforts to restrict press freedom and deter journalists from covering events and documenting violations against the Palestinian people.
It stressed that the use of administrative detention against journalists constitutes a blatant violation of international conventions guaranteeing press freedom and the right of journalists to work without intimidation or persecution.
Despite the mounting risks, the committee affirmed that Palestinian journalists remain committed to their professional mission of reporting the truth and documenting abuses on the ground.
