On November 16, 2023, Palestinian journalist Mervat al-Azze was arrested by Israeli police in Jerusalem after being summoned for questioning over her Facebook posts. She was a freelance producer for NBC News before her arrest, after which NBC said it would no longer work with her. Al-Azze reported that she was handcuffed, beaten, spat on, and verbally abused during the arrest.
She was held at the Jerusalem Police Station (Al-Muskobiya) for interrogation for more than three days. Israeli authorities then transferred her to a police station in Tel Aviv for four days and then moved her to Damon Prison. She appeared before a military court via video conference and formally charged with incitement. Al-Azze was released on November 28, 2023, as part of a hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
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.