On November 17, 2023, Palestinian freelance photojournalist Abdalafo Bassam Zaghir was arrested by Israeli authorities at Damascus Gate near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to Ramallah-based privately owned Quds News Network, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
He was held for four days before being released on November 21, 2023.
CPJ routinely contacts the Israel Defense Forces' North America Media Desk about its arrests of journalists. In one 2024 response the IDF said it detains ‘individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity,' but has either provided no evidence or unsubstantiated evidence to CPJ to support these suspicions. CPJ has also contacted the Israeli Prison Service, the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, and Shin Bet about Palestinian journalists arrested in the West Bank but did not receive any replies.