Israeli forces arrested Palestinian journalist Thaer Fakhoury on August 24, 2026, at an Israeli military checkpoint near the town of Tuqu’, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Fakhoury had previously been arrested by Israeli forces in October 2023 and held in administrative detention.
Fakhoury, 36, is the director of Space Media, a Palestinian media production company, and a father of three.
His father, Ziad Fakhoury, told CPJ that Fakhoury had been in Ramallah and was traveling with several colleagues back to Hebron when Israeli soldiers detained him at the checkpoint at about 9:30 p.m. Ziad said the soldiers allowed his son to call the family and tell them that he was under arrest.
Ziad said that the family subsequently learned that Fakhoury was being held at the Etzion detention center, south of Bethlehem.
On September 2, Israeli authorities placed Fakhoury in administrative detention for six months, his father told CPJ. Ziad said Fakhoury had been questioned by Israel’s Shin Bet security agency for several hours on August 30 before being returned to the Etzion detention center.
Israeli forces previously arrested Fakhoury on October 20, 2023, after surrounding and raiding his home in southern Hebron. Israeli soldiers searched the house, blindfolded and handcuffed him, confiscated his phone and car keys, and took him into custody.
Israeli authorities subsequently placed Fakhoury in administrative detention, which allows detention without charge or trial on the basis of secret evidence. His detention was renewed during that period, and he was held in several Israeli prisons before being released on June 13, 2024.
CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces’ International Press Desk requesting comment on Fakhoury’s arrest and detention but did not receive a response.