On January 8, 2025, Palestinian security forces arrested reporter Jarah Khalaf, who worked with the Quds Feed Network, a digital independent media platform, and published news on his social media accounts, as he attempted to pass a security checkpoint into the West Bank city of Jenin.
He told CPJ via messaging app on May 22, 2024 that the officers beat him, forced him into a vehicle, and transported him to the police intelligence department, where they demanded he unlock his phone. He reported that his hands were tied behind his back and that he was then suspended by his wrists so that he could barely stand. He was deprived of sleep, food, and water during this period.
He was later charged with possession of a weapon and ordered held for 48 hours, despite no mention of any weapon during prior questioning. On January 14, 2025, a Jenin court extended his detention for 15 more days, after which he was transferred to Jenin Prison. Palestinian authorities released Khalaf on February 5, 2025.
CPJ routinely contacts the Israel Defense Forces' North America Media Desk about its arrests of journalists. In one 2024 response the IDF said it detains ‘individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity,' but has either provided no evidence or unsubstantiated evidence to CPJ to support these suspicions. CPJ has also contacted the Israeli Prison Service, the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, and Shin Bet about Palestinian journalists arrested in the West Bank but did not receive any replies.