On April 14, 2026, Israeli authorities re-arrested Palestinian journalist and political commentator Imad Abu Awad in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities previously arrested Abu Awad in October 2023 and released him in July 2024.
Abu Awad provides commentary to international and regional broadcasters, including Qatari-funded broadcaster Al-Jazeera, Al-Ghad, and Al-Qahera News. He also shares video clips of his TV appearances and comments on his Facebook account, which has about 19,000 followers.
CPJ spoke to Abu Awad’s father, Mahmoud, who confirmed that his son is currently held in Ofer prison, and that he was issued a six-month administrative detention order, without the journalist or lawyer present during the court session.
CPJ emailed the Israeli Defense Forces' International Press Desk requesting information on Abu Awad’s most recent arrest but asked for his identification number, information the organization does not provide.
After Abu Awad’s previous release, he described the judicial proceedings against him as “unfair.”
“My detention was administrative — meaning no specific charges were brought against me — and the judge repeatedly extended my imprisonment based solely on a decision issued by the Shin Bet,” he told CPJ, referring to the Israeli internal security service.
Abu Awad said he was held at Nafha/Ganot Prison and granted the opportunity to meet with his lawyer while incarcerated there.
He lost approximately 23 kilograms (51 pounds) due to the insufficient quantities of food provided to detainees within Israeli prisons, he said.
Abu Awad 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 inside Israeli 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.”