Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international organisation focusing on freedom of information, has demanded that Israel release all arbitrarily detained Palestinian journalists.
Drawing attention to the recent arrest of freelance journalist Mohammed Awad, who worked for AFP and Al Jazeera, at his home in the occupied West Bank, RSF on Friday said: “The Israeli army has accused him of terrorism, a charge frequently levelled against Palestinian journalists without evidence.”
“RSF is deeply concerned this may be another instance of unjust detention and calls on the army to provide answers,” it underlined.
Awad was taken from his home near Ramallah on Wednesday and placed in a military vehicle, his family announced.
The Israeli army claimed in a statement that Awad was "suspected of advancing terror attacks" and said he “operated on behalf of Hamas”, without providing evidence or further details.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society, a non-governmental group that advocates for detained Palestinians, said that Awad's detention brought to 40 the number of Palestinian journalists held by Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate called Awad's arrest "an extension of the occupation's systematic policy of targeting Palestinian journalists."
It is part of "a continuous attempt to silence the voice of the press and obstruct the transmission of the truth," it said.
Israel has killed over 260 journalists in Gaza since October 2023.
