West Bank: Rasha Herzallah 4th Woman Journalist Unjustly Detained by Israel Since October 7
Wafa News reporter detained in the West Bank on “incitement” charges
Location: West Bank, Nablus
Date: June 2, 2024Update: June 10, 2024Women Press Freedom denounces Wafa News reporter Rasha Herzallah's unjust detention by Israeli authorities in the West Bank. This detention is emblematic of a broader pattern of systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists by Israeli authorities. Herzallah now joins the ranks of more than 40 journalists currently in Israeli custody, including two women reporters. Such actions violate Herzallah's fundamental rights and intimidate and silence journalists striving to report on critical issues in the region. Journalists must be allowed to carry out their work without fear of harassment, intimidation, or arrest. Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Rasha Herzallah and calls for her immediate release.
On June 2, 2024, Israeli forces detained Rasha Herzallah, a Palestinian journalist, from Nablus in the West Bank.
She was summoned by Israeli intelligence agents and taken to a detention center in the Ariel settlement, where she was handed a 72-hour detention order.
An Israeli military court extended the detention of Hirzallah by five days on June 6, 2024, to prepare a "charge sheet" under the accusation of "incitement." On June 10, her detention was extended with yet another two weeks. On June 24, Harzallah’s detention was extended yet again to August 11, 2024.
Herzallah's detention is part of a disturbing trend of Palestinian journalists being targeted by Israeli authorities, with more than 40 journalists currently held in Israeli custody, including two women reporters.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023, the targeting of journalists in the West Bank has intensified. Palestinian journalists have faced detention, assault, and harassment by Israeli forces. Still behind bars are Rula Hassanein — arrested from her home in Bethlehem and denied bail while her sick infant relies on her breastfeeding — and Bushra Al-Taweel, who was detained and assaulted in Ramallah.
Journalist Lama Khater was detained in Hebron and faced violence and threats to her family's safety before being released, while Somaya Jawabra, pregnant at the time of her detention, was placed under house arrest.
Many Palestinian journalists detained in the West Bank are held under administrative detention, a practice allowing imprisonment without trial or formal charges. This lack of transparency and due process has been criticized for its reliance on undisclosed evidence, denying detainees the ability to defend themselves effectively.
Women Press Freedom is alarmed by the pattern of intimidation and suppression perpetuated by Israeli authorities against the Palestinian press. The escalating harassment of Palestinian journalists since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 has clamped down on the already limited space for independent journalism. We call upon Israeli authorities to immediately release Herzallah and end the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists.
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