Ali al-Samoudi released after year in Israeli administrative detention
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 9
Ali al-Samoudi released after year in Israeli administrative detention
5 articles · Updated · CNN · May 9
The 59-year-old Palestinian journalist returned to his home in Jenin last week, saying he lost 60 kilos and was never charged during repeated detention orders.
Samoudi alleged severe physical and psychological abuse, chronic hunger and beatings in prison, and said a 22-year-old cellmate, Louay Turkman, died after guards refused medical treatment.
CPJ says 105 Palestinian journalists have been detained since 7 October 2023 and 33 remain jailed, helping make Israel the third-worst jailer of journalists in 2025.
With over 100 journalists detained, is Israel's detention system being used to systematically silence reporting from the ground?
As UN reports allege systematic torture, will international courts investigate Israeli officials for war crimes?
Detained Without Trial: Administrative Detention, Torture, and the Targeting of Palestinian Journalists in Israeli Prisons (2023–2026)
Overview
Ali al-Samoudi, a veteran journalist, was released on April 30, 2026, after enduring a year-long administrative detention that began when Israeli forces raided, ransacked, and interrogated him at his home on April 29, 2025. The military justified his detention by claiming he posed a security threat, but no clear evidence was provided. His release followed widespread international condemnation and urgent appeals from journalist organizations, highlighting the broader issue of administrative detention and its impact on press freedom and human rights in the region.