ع
The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that Israeli forces took another journalist into custody on Wednesday bringing the current total of those held to 40 among them five women. Mohammad Awad became the latest to be detained according to the group’s statement which detailed a pattern of arrests targeting media workers across the West Bank and other areas. The society placed the cumulative figure for journalists detained since the start of the Gaza war at more than 250 some of whom have since been released or sentenced while 19 remain under administrative detention without charge or trial.
Administrative detention has figured prominently in the cases tracked by the Palestinian Prisoners Society which described the measure as one tool among several used to target reporting on the conflict. The group documented instances in which journalists faced charges related to incitement often tied to their social media activity or field coverage. Its statement outlined allegations of systematic ill treatment inside facilities including torture starvation medical neglect and in some cases sexual assault directed at those in custody.
More than 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 2023 according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society with two of them dying while held in Israeli facilities. The group highlighted the cases of Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdel Wahid who it said remain unaccounted for raising concerns about their fate. These figures come as part of a wider tally that the society has compiled from its monitoring of arrests and outcomes across Palestinian territories.
A February 2026 assessment by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that Israel had detained at least 94 Palestinian journalists and one media worker since the war began with 30 still in custody at that time. The New York-based organization has listed Israel among the leading jailers of journalists in its annual prison census since 2023 drawing on interviews with dozens of those released. The Palestinian Prisoners Society statement urged the international human rights system to take concrete steps to safeguard journalists and uphold principles of free expression in the region.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society has consistently tracked detention trends across multiple categories including the broader population of Palestinians held by Israel. Its latest update on journalists aligns with periodic reports issued by the group which often coincide with international observances or specific incidents. Officials from the society have previously called for greater scrutiny of conditions inside Israeli prisons where thousands of Palestinians are held on security-related grounds according to separate data compiled by Israeli human rights monitors.
Separate tallies from B’Tselem the Israeli information center for human rights in the occupied territories placed the overall number of Palestinians in Israeli custody at more than 9,000 at the end of 2025 including both detainees and sentenced prisoners. The Palestinian Prisoners Society has noted that its journalist-specific counts form part of this larger picture emphasizing the impact on media coverage of events in Gaza and the West Bank. Its Wednesday statement reiterated demands for the release of those held and for accountability over reported abuses during detention.
