Israeli forces arrested Palestinian freelance journalist Ayman Ghraieb, also known as Ayman Bani Odeh, on November 17, 2025, while he was documenting Israeli settler attacks in the Jordan Valley, near Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
Ghraieb, 44, is from the town of Tammun, near Tubas, and is a father of four. He documents Israeli settler attacks and military actions in the occupied West Bank through photographs and videos that he publishes on his social media accounts.
His wife, Walaa Bani Odeh, told CPJ that Ghraieb had traveled to the area on November 17, 2025 to document settler attacks when a settlement security guard detained him. She said the family did not know his whereabouts for about a week and later learned that he had been handed over to Israeli forces and taken to a military base in the area. The family was told that Ghraieb’s detention followed complaints by Israeli settlers, she said.
The human rights group Front Line Defenders reported that Ghraieb was detained while documenting events near the Palestinian community of Fasayil in the Jordan Valley, and that Israeli authorities told his lawyer on November 20, 2025 that he was being held at the Samra military base.
Walaa told CPJ that Ghraieb was severely beaten at the time of his arrest, causing fractures to two ribs, and that he continued to suffer from the injuries as of August 2026. She also said her son had been assaulted by Israeli forces during periodic raids they conduct in the section of Gilboa Prison where he was being held. CPJ could not independently verify the alleged mistreatment or the extent of his injuries.
In December 2025, an Israeli military court upheld a six-month administrative detention order against Ghraieb. Walaa told CPJ that Ghraieb was subsequently transferred from the base to Gilboa Prison, where he remained as of August 2026. She said the evidence against him is contained in a secret file unavailable to the family.
Israeli authorities renewed his administrative detention for another six months on May 16, 2026, said Walaa, adding that his lawyer visits him approximately once a month.
CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces’ International Press Desk requesting comment on Ghraieb’s arrest and detention but did not receive a response.