On November 14, 2023, Palestinian journalist Mervat al-Azze was arrested by Israeli police in Jerusalem after being summoned for questioning over Facebook posts. She was working as a producer for NBC News at the time of her arrest.
Al-Azze told CPJ that she was beaten at the time of her arrest, handcuffed, spat on, and insulted. She said she was then transferred to a police station in Tel Aviv for four days and from there to Damon prison.
She said she was brought before the court once by video conference, with an Israeli flag placed behind her, and charged with incitement.
According to Al-Azze’s testimony in an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the incitement charge was based on Facebook posts she had written, including commentary published on October 7 and another post contrasting Arabs “sitting in cafés” with “Jews hiding in shelters,” which the interrogating officer described as “incitement to terrorism.”
Al-Azze told CPJ that NBC News stopped working with her during her detention.
A spokesperson for the network said in a statement that it has severed ties with her, adding that she began working for the network after the October 7 attack.
''The investigation of Ms. Azza is unrelated to NBC News. It is based on her personal Facebook posts that predate her time with us as a freelancer. We were not aware of those posts before we engaged Ms. Azza four weeks ago. She will not be contributing to our coverage going forward,'' the spokesperson told Fox News.
Israeli authorities released Al-Azze on November 28, 2023, after two weeks in detention, as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas.
She told CPJ that she lost four kilograms (around 9 pounds) during her two weeks in detention because of the small quantities and poor quality of food, as well as unclean water.
Al-Azze said that upon her release, an Israeli intelligence officer warned that if she did not stop writing and posting she would be killed.
She added that she left Jerusalem a month after her release because of settler incitement against her, and that she currently lives in Egypt.
Al-Azze’s 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, 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 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.”