Israeli forces arrested prominent Palestinian journalist in the West Coast

The Palestinian journalist union condemned the arrest of a prominent local journalist from the Israeli forces of the occupied West coast.

Ali Al Samudi, who works widely with the Western media, was detained during an attack at his son’s home in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday.

The 58-year-old was questioned for half an hour to an unknown place and was later transferred to an Israeli hospital for deterioration of his health, said his son Mohammed.

The Israeli military said Samudi was “identified with the (Palestinian) Islamic terrorist organization of jihad” and “suspect in the transfer of funds” without giving any evidence.

His family flatly denied his involvement and said that in his long career he had never been confronted with such an accusation before.

They said that the Israeli authorities did not tell them the name of the hospital where he was treated or any other details.

It is expected to be brought before a military court next Tuesday.

The Israeli military separately announced on Tuesday that the security forces had detained a total of 24 requests “participating in the transfer of funds to terrorist organizations,” including three from Jenin, during the west coast attacks.

In May 2022 Samudi works with Palestinian-American correspondent of Al Jazeera Shireen Abu Spread When she was shot by an Israeli sniper at the entrance of the refugee camp Jenin. He was shot and wounded from behind.

According to the Commission for Protection of Journalists (CPJ), the Israeli forces have arrested at least 79 journalists on the west coast and Gaza since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, while the Palestinian authorities arrested five others.

Another 176 journalists, almost all Palestinian, were killed in Gaza, the West Coast, Israel and Lebanon during the war, the organization said.