On May 29, 2024, Israeli security forces arrested Palestinian freelance journalist Bilal Hamid al-Taweel, who contributes to several media outlets, including the Qatari-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, at his home in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to news reports and footage of his arrest posted on social media by the Palestinian news outlet Al-Qastal. Israeli authorities released al-Taweel from Ofer prison on February 27, 2025, after about nine months in detention.
The video posted by Al-Qastal on its X account shows two Israeli soldiers taking Al-Taweel, who is blindfolded and handcuffed, to an armored military vehicle.
After his release, al-Taweel told CPJ that he was tortured during his arrest through shackling, beatings with sticks and military boots, exposure to cold weather, and being thrown into sewage water and left under the rain.
“The charge against me was using social media platforms and posting videos related to October 7, 2023,” he said. “They considered them inciting, although I posted them as news content to cover ongoing events.”
During his time in prison, he lost about 11 kilograms (25 pounds) and weighed 54 kilograms (119 pounds) on release, which he attributed to prison food policies. Some detainees lost 20 kilograms (44 pounds) or more, he said.
He said he was allowed to communicate with his lawyer while in prison.
He also remains under a suspended 12-month prison sentence for five years, to be enforced if he were to be charged with the same offense again during that period.
According to CPJ research, Israeli forces previously arrested al-Taweel in June 2018. He was released 10 days later, according to news reports.
Al-Taweel was among the journalists whose testimony was included in the CPJ special report, “We returned from hell,” published in February 2026, which compiles accounts from 58 journalists who reported patterns of abuse, torture, and mistreatment against Palestinian journalists insideIsraeli prisons.
The Israeli military did not respond to CPJ’s repeated requests for comment on specific allegations by journalists in the report, instead requesting ID numbers and geographic coordinates that CPJ does not collect or provide. When asked about allegations of physical and sexual abuse, starvation, and the investigation and accountability process, an army spokesperson said “individuals detained are treated in accordance with international law,” adding that the armed forces “have never, and will never, deliberately target journalists,” and that any violations of protocol “will be looked into.”
CPJ also emailed the Israel Prison Service (IPS) regarding the allegations in the report. In response, the IPS said “all prisoners are detained according to the law” and that “all basic rights are fully upheld by professionally trained prison guards.” The service said it was unaware of the claims described, and that to its knowledge “no such events have occurred,” but noted that “prisoners and detainees have the right to file a complaint that will be fully examined and addressed by official authorities.”