Israeli military forces arrested Nidal Elian, editor-in-chief at the satellite channel Al-Quds Today, October 22, 2024, in Beit Lahia, Gaza, according to his wife Alaa Elian and a representative of the Palestinian prisoner support group Addameer, who spoke to CPJ over the phone.
His wife told CPJ that the family fled their home in the Jabalia refugee camp after the Israeli military bombed their apartment building and moved in with relatives in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. According to his wife, on October 22, Israeli military forces issued an order through a drone’s loudspeaker for residents to evacuate the area because they were going to destroy it, and ordered residents to a school next to the Kamal Adwan hospital. When they arrived, Israeli military forces separated men from the women and detained Elian, his father, brother, and nephew, according to his wife, who added that she only found out hours later after his father and brother were released.
Elian needs specialized medical care after donating a kidney to his son, according to his wife.
CPJ was unable to determine where he is held, what charges he may be facing, or whether he is receiving medical care in custody.
Alaa Skafi, director of Addameer, told CPJ that journalists from Gaza are generally held under the Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law. According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the law allows Israel to hold detainees for long periods of time without charge and with limited access to legal counsel. Skafi and B’Tselem both described overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and abuse at Israeli prison facilities housing Palestinian journalists.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, which began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, have devastated the local press. Israel has killed scores of journalists in Gaza as well as six in Lebanon, jailed dozens of Palestinian journalists from Gaza and the West Bank, and destroyed much of the press infrastructure in Gaza, all while preventing the foreign press from entering Gaza.
CPJ emailed the IDF for comment on Elian and it responded saying that “the IDF takes all operationally feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians including journalists.” It also said that “as part of the IDF activity in the combat area, individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity are being detained and questioned. Individuals who are found not to be taking part in terrorist activities are released. The individuals detained are treated in accordance with international law.” The IDF did not specifically reference Elian.
CPJ also emailed Israel’s Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet, and the Israeli Prison Service in late 2024 for comment on the cases of imprisoned Palestinian journalists but received no response.