On January 6, 2025, Palestinian General Intelligence Service agents arrested freelance journalist Mahmoud Matar after summoning him for questioning at their Nablus headquarters. He was accused of incitement and possession of a weapon, which his lawyer and representatives from the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said was likely retaliation for his journalistic work. Matar was arrested by the same authority in 2012 and in 2016.
Matar told CPJ that he was beaten while being questioned about his social media posts on clashes between Palestinian forces and armed groups in Jenin refugee camp. Matar was released on January 19, 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.