Why did Israel jail journalist who witnessed Shireen Abu-Akleh’s killing?

Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi, who has been imprisoned by Israel for almost a year, is now at risk of dying, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has warned.

He was arrested by Israeli forces in April last year during an early morning raid on his son’s home in Jenin on charges of allegedly transferring funds to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which Israel considers a terrorist organisation.

Israel later said it found “no sufficient evidence” against him, however.

Since May 2025, al-Samoudi, who was also injured by gunfire when Abu Akleh was killed, has been under arbitrary detention.

In a statement issued in January, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said al-Samoudi has not been granted a fair trial and that his arrest is “a blatant violation of international law and press freedom”. The syndicate also warned “that his life is now at risk” due to the harsh and inhumane treatment he has been experiencing in prison. Why has Israel arrested him? How has he been treated in prison?

Why did Israel arrest al-Samoudi?

Israel initially arrested al-Samoudi on charges of funding terrorism.

He was detained in a military barracks in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, then transferred to the Jalameh detention centre, near Haifa in Israel, and later to Megiddo prison in northern Israel, the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported.