On August 3, 2024, Palestinian freelance journalist and camera operator Assem Shonar was arrested at his house by Israeli soldiers who raided the home in the Nablus town of Asira ash-Shamaliya in the West Bank, according to media reports.
Shonar’s friend, journalist Abdul Mohsen Shalaldeh, told CPJ via messaging app that Shonar had previously worked with him at J-Media for a year, until Israeli authorities shuttered the outlet in October 2023, and that Shonar had been freelancing with other outlets since.
Shonar’s father, Mustafa Shonar, told CPJ via messaging app that his son was working on a documentary film. He added that Shonar was being held at Ofer prison and was put under administrative detention for four months.
Under administrative detention procedures, authorities may hold detainees for six months without charge if they suspect the detainee of planning to commit a future offense, and then extend the detention an unlimited number of times, according to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. Judges may accept evidence against the detainee without disclosing it on security grounds.
CPJ was unable to determine the status of the journalist’s health in prison.
Shonar was arrested in the course of Israel’s recent military operations in the region, which began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Israel has killed scores of journalists in Gaza as well as six in Lebanon, jailed dozens of Palestinian journalists from the West Bank and Gaza, and destroyed much of the press infrastructure in Gaza, all while preventing the foreign press from entering Gaza.
The North America Desk of the Israel Defense Forces referred CPJ to Israel’s security agency, the Shin Bet, for information on the charges against the journalist, reason for his arrest, and conditions in prison; CPJ’s email to the Shin Bet did not receive a response.