On August 6, 2025, Israeli forces arrested 24-year-old Palestinian journalist Farah Abu Ayash from her home in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron in the West Bank, in the early hours of the morning, according to her family and multiple news reports.
Her father, Mohammed Abu Ayash, told CPJ that Israeli forces had raided the house, searching and ransacking it, before detaining his daughter, who works for Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. He said the raid was part of a broader campaign that included searches of several homes in the Al-Dhahr neighborhood and on Sheikhah Fatima Street in Beit Ummar.
Abu Ayash’s lawyer, Ihab al-Ghalayidh from the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, told CPJ in early August 2025 that her detention had been extended twice so far, and a court hearing was scheduled for August 24. He said Israeli police accused her of having “contact with a foreign agent,” without elaborating.
Abu Ayash’s father told CPJ on November 17 that the August hearing was held via video conference, that the family was unable to communicate with her, and that her sentencing was scheduled for December 7.
Farah was previously arrested on January 21, 2025.
On November 16, 2025, Abu Ayash spoke to lawyer Hassan Abbadi about the conditions she experienced in Al-Moskobiya prison in Jerusalem; in Ayalon prison near Ramla; and Damon prison near Haifa, where she is being held as of late 2025. Her testimony was published by Radio Nisaa on November 17.
CPJ contacted Hassan Abbadi on November 19, and he confirmed the information and details reported in her testimony.
Farah Abu Ayash described multiple layers of abuse beginning from the moment of her arrest. She said that military dogs tore at her trousers, her hands were bound tightly with zip ties, and she was tied to a leaking water pipe that soaked her throughout the night. She reported being forced to hand over her phone’s password. Abu Ayash referred to Al-Moskobiya as a “horror movie,” recounting that while she was ill, guards placed heavy chains on her shoulders, slammed her head against a wall, pulled her by the hair, and ordered her to kiss the Israeli flag. When she refused, she said they beat her.
She also described unsanitary conditions in Ayalon prison, where she was held in a cell infested with rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs that crawled over her body and face, leaving marks that she says remain visible. She added that she was denied access to a shower and not provided with clean clothing.
Abbadi told CPJ that Abu Ayash spent 55 days in solitary confinement and suffered from medical neglect, routine beatings and verbal abuse, and repeated pulling of her headscarf. She reported to Abbadi that she was subjected to strip searches and experienced harassment.
CPJ’s email to the Israeli Prison Service requesting comment on Abu Ayash’s account did not receive a response.