On October 5, 2024, Israeli security forces arrested Palestinian freelance journalist Jihad al-Din al-Badawi, a contributor to Palestine Today, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and his brother, Abed al-Hakeem al-Badawi, who spoke to CPJ.
Abed al-Hakeem al-Badawi told CPJ via messaging app that his brother was arrested at a checkpoint north of Bethlehem in the West Bank on his way back from work and was initially held at Etzion detention center in the West Bank.
In April 2026, CPJ contacted al-Badawi’s brother, Musab al-Badawi, who said that his brother was being detained administratively in Ofer Prison, with no charges disclosed. His detention had been extended under a fourth administrative order, which was renewed on April 2, for six months. A lawyer had visited him four times since his arrest.
Musab al-Badawi confirmed that his brother is a former cancer patient in remission and stressed that he was suffering from malnutrition and had experienced a substantial weight loss. He also said that he had contacted scabies multiple times in detention. The details about the conditions were consistent with testimonies CPJ collected from Palestinian journalists released from Israeli prisons.
CPJ emailed the Israeli Prison Service for comment on the case and allegations of starvation and medical neglect but had not received a reply at the time of publication.