On November 16, 2023, Israeli forces arrested Palestinian journalist and editor Hamza Radwan, who worked as head of graphics and editing for the Qatari news website Marsal Qatar News, at the Netzarim Corridor while he was fleeing Gaza City toward central Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities released Radwan in Gaza City on February 27, 2025, as part of a prisoner–hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas, after more than 15 months in detention.
After his release, Radwan told CPJ that he was stripped of his clothes and blindfolded upon arrest and left naked for over 24 hours. He was transferred between several detention facilities during his imprisonment, including Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, Nafha Prison, in southern Israel, and Ktzi'ot Prison, in southern Israel’s Negev Desert.
Radwan told CPJ and the press freedom group the Palestinian Center for the Protection of Journalists that he had been subjected to beatings and abuse with batons and sharp objects. He said he contracted scabies due to the unhygienic conditions and medical neglect.
Radwan said interrogators questioned him about his journalism and told him that anyone working at his media outlet “serves Hamas.” He added that Israeli authorities accused him of belonging to a terrorist organization during what he described as a “sham” court session conducted via video conference.
He also described severe food deprivation in prison, saying he lost nearly 30 kilograms (66 pounds) during his detention.
Radwan 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.”