Palestinian journalist at risk of dying in Israeli detention, press union warns

By Aysar Alais and Betul Yilmaz

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi is at risk of dying as his health condition has deteriorated in Israeli detention, a local press union warned on Sunday.

Samoudi, 58, was arrested by the Israeli army in Jenin in the occupied West Bank in late April. He has since been held without charge or trial under Israel’s notorious policy of administrative detention.

"Samoudi suffers from chronic illnesses and requires ongoing medical care,” the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said in a statement.

“The continued medical neglect in the occupation's prisons puts his life at serious risk,” it warned.

The press union appealed to all international and human rights organizations to "take immediate action and exert pressure on Israel to save Samoudi's life."

According to Palestinian figures, at least 221 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the start of its genocidal war in October 2023.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society, an NGO, said that 177 journalists have also been detained during the same period, of whom 49 remain in Israeli detention.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.