On November 7, 2023, Israeli security forces arrested Palestinian freelance journalist Mohammad Ayyad at his home in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, 11 kilometers (seven miles) east of Jerusalem, according to news reports and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate. Israeli authorities released Ayyad on July 4, 2024, after eight months in detention.
Ayyad, who until his arrest worked as a correspondent for the privately owned Palestinian news outlet Al-Qastal, told CPJ that he had been documenting Israeli violations in his area and producing written and video reports before his arrest.
Ayyad said that Israeli forces beat him severely during the arrest with batons on his head and chest. He said that from the moment he was placed in a military vehicle until he reached prison rooms in the Etzion detention camp, he was beaten intermittently over four hours. He added that he was later transferred to Ofer Prison, where he was beaten, strip-searched, and sprayed with pepper spray “without any reason.”
Ayyad said he was accused of incitement and subjected to an unfair court process via video conference.
Ayyad told CPJ that he lost 20 kilograms (44 pounds) during his detention because of what he described as a systematic starvation policy by the Israeli prison authorities toward detainees.
He added that prison officers threatened him upon release that if he returned to publishing, he would be arrested again. Ayyad said he has not worked in the media since his release.
Ayyad 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.”