Israeli soldiers arrested journalist Mohamad Al-Atrash, a host for the program “People’s Discussions” at the local Palestinian Radio Alam on November 8, 2023, after raiding his house in Hebron, West Bank, according to thee radio, the London-based news site The New Arab, and the Palestinian press freedom group MADA.
Al-Atrash’s wife told Radio Alam that he was arrested and his phone confiscated in a dawn raid.
Since the beginning of the war, al-Atrash had been reporting on a daily basis on the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, including airstrikes, shortages of fuel at hospitals, and the rising death toll, as well as the war’s impact on the West Bank. He also shares commentary on his personal Facebook account, which has nearly 10,000 followers.
Radio Alam quoted al-Atrash’s lawyer, Khaled al-Araj, as saying that at a November 26 hearing, Israeli prosecutors indicted al-Atrash for incitement over posts on his personal Facebook and Instagram accounts, rejected his bail, and extended his detention until the end of his trial, without specifying a date.
Al-Atrash was released on June 6, 2024.
On January 23, 2025, al-Atrash was arrested in another dawn raid on his home, this time by the Palestinian Authority after he returned from reporting on the Israeli military operation in Jenin for the Qatari-based broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The journalist’s lawyer, Higazi Ebedo, told CPJ on January 23 that a court in the Hebron Governorate extended his detention for 15 days to complete the investigation on suspicion of working with a banned media agency.
On January 1, the Palestinian Authority suspended Al Jazeera’s West Bank operations on the grounds of “inciting material” after criticizing the outlet’s coverage of a standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in Jenin.
Brig. Gen. Anwar Rajab, spokesperson of the Palestinian security forces, declined CPJ’s request for comment.
Al-Atrash told CPJ that he was released on January 25. The journalist told CPJ on January 27 that he was forced to sign a pledge not to work with Al Jazeera before he was freed.