Amman September 17, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release Palestinian-American journalist Naqaa Hamed, arrested on Tuesday at a temporary Israeli army checkpoint in the village of Tuqu, near Bethlehem.
Hamed, a freelancer with the local 4D Media production company, was returning from a work assignment for Turkish state broadcaster TRT in Masaffer Yatta near Hebron, according to the operations director at 4D Media, Youssef Khallaf, and the two cameramen who were with her and were later released, Wissam Hajouj and Hamada Mansour.
Hamed is also a correspondent for the Iranian-affiliated broadcaster Press TV.
Hajouj told CPJ that soldiers photographed the crew before interrogating Hamed separately. Before she was led away, Hajouj briefly interacted with Hamed, telling him that soldiers were questioning her about her reporting and journalistic work.
Bashar Abed, Hamed’s husband, told CPJ in a phone interview that there was an online campaign calling for his wife’s arrest due to her work. He added that she was taken to Ariel Police Station, near Salfit.
CPJ reviewed online posts linking Hamed to Iran and calling for her detention over her reporting on the siege of Qusra village, near Nablus. In a post published four weeks prior, an online account openly questioned why the journalist had not yet been arrested.
“Israeli authorities should immediately free Hamed and publicly clarify the legal basis for her detention,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ regional director. “Unsubstantiated espionage allegations must not be used to criminalize journalism, and the systemic harassment and intimidation targeting her work in the occupied West Bank must end.”
On September 17, Israeli Salem military court extended Hamed’s detention until September 23, pending further investigation.
According to Ynet, military sources indicated that “there was information implicating her in cooperation with an enemy entity because of her work for the Iranian broadcaster, and that the case may also involve suspected espionage.”
CPJ emailed the Israeli military for evidence for alleged espionage claims, reasons for the journalist’s arrest and her current whereabouts and condition. The military did not reply by the time of publication.