On May 19, 2024, Israeli forces arrested Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Adel Ma’atan Barakat, a freelance producer and editor, from his home in the village of Burqa near Ramallah. Barakat was released from prison on July 6, 2024.
Barakat was first held at the Binyamin Police Station, where he was beaten, assaulted, and subjected to a full strip search before being transferred to Ofer Prison, he told CPJ. There, he endured more severe physical abuse, including being beaten, dragged, insulted, and hit in his genital area.
Barakat said he was denied access to legal counsel. He was brought before a court via video conference and charged with incitement via Facebook and undermining Israeli security.
Barakat lost nine kilograms (20 pounds) during his detention due to what he described as intentional starvation by prison authorities. Israeli forces confiscated two cell phones and additional technological equipment taken during the raid on his home.
He received a three-year suspended sentence and was required to pay a financial bail of 12,000 shekels (US$3,400). He said he was warned that he would be rearrested if he posted again on social media.
Barakat 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.”