IDF Detains Palestinian Journalist for Year Without Questioning on Terror Charges

The network reported that he is one of 105 Palestinian journalists detained and imprisoned since October 7, 2023, with the majority held without charge, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. If the figures are accurate, they would place Israel as the third-worst jailer of journalists in 2025, behind China and Myanmar, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Thirty-three Palestinian journalists remain imprisoned in Israel, the organization reported.

During the war, the IDF has accused some Palestinian reporters of links to terror groups. In certain cases it has carried out targeted killings of those deemed sufficiently dangerous, while in others it has placed them in administrative detention. Administrative detention does not involve a standard criminal trial.

Israel has stated that the measure is required when key evidence comes from intelligence sources and methods that cannot be disclosed without compromising them. Administrative detainees are typically released within six months to two years. Al-Samoudi was held for about one year before his release.

The IDF initially claimed al-Samoudi was connected to Islamic Jihad. He said he was never questioned about such allegations, a claim described as unusual compared with most administrative detainees who report periodic court hearings. Al-Samoudi also described mistreatment by the Israel Prisons Service.

The service had not responded to those statements by the time of the CNN report. The IDF has not responded to the specific allegations about al-Samoudi or to the broader figures on detained journalists. Questioned repeatedly about the details since early Sunday morning, the military had not clarified the situation by press time on May 10, 2026.