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On Tuesday, Israeli forces detained Palestinian American journalist Naqaa Hamed in the occupied West Bank as she returned from a reporting assignment on escalating settler violence.
Israeli soldiers detained Hamed with two other journalists at a checkpoint near Bethlehem, and questioned her about her journalism and the stories she was reporting. The two other journalists were released, and Hamed was taken into Israeli custody.
Hamed is a freelance journalist who has reported for numerous international outlets, including Drop Site News, Turkish Radio and Television Corp (TRT), and Press TV.
Israeli settlers have been targeting Hamed in an online smear campaign over the past month, calling for her arrest since she began her coverage of the Israeli siege in the village of Qusra.
In mid-August, Israeli settlers surrounded and besieged the homes of Palestinians in Qusra, a village near the West Bank city of Nablus. With the Israeli military largely standing by, settlers cut off residents’ access to water and electricity, and threw stones at residents to intimidate them and prevent them from leaving. The settlers besieged the homes for a month, and continue to attack and intimidate residents.
Hamed’s reporting has covered settler and military violence in various parts of the West Bank. This year, she has written of the drastic escalation in settler attacks, forced displacement, and illegal settlements in the West Bank since October 2023.
Though Hamed’s arrest speaks to the growing coordination between the Israeli military and settlers, Israeli media is now claiming that Hamed is “under suspicion of espionage” for her reporting for Iranian-affiliated Press TV.
On Thursday, Israel extended Hamed’s detention until September 23, declaring a need for further investigation.
Sara Qudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement that “Israeli authorities should immediately free Hamed and publicly clarify the legal basis for her detention.”
“Unsubstantiated espionage allegations must not be used to criminalize journalism, and the systematic harassment and intimidation targeting her work in the occupied West Bank must end.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) reposted the statement on X, adding, “Another American citizen wrongfully detained by the Israeli govt. Naqaa Hamed, an American journalist, was stopped by the IDF, interrogated about her work, & now faces bogus espionage allegations. The Israeli govt should immediately release Naqaa, NOW.”
In December 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the Israeli military as “the worst enemy of journalists.” According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, nearly 40 Palestinian journalists are currently in Israeli detention. And in Gaza, journalists face an even harsher reality, as their press badges make them a target of Israeli strikes.
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