West Bank17 September, 20263 min read
Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian Journalist Alaa Al-Rimawi in Ramallah West Bank Raids
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Israeli forces arrested journalist Alaa Al-Rimawi at his Ramallah home at dawn, took him away Two Palestinians were injured during the West Bank raids
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Rimawi arrested in Ramallah
Israeli forces arrested Palestinian journalist Alaa Al-Rimawi at dawn on Thursday after raiding his home in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to his family. Rimawi’s arrest came less than a year after he was released on October 7, 2025, following two years in administrative detention, and Anadolu Ajansı also said he had been released after about a month and a half following a hunger strike. In the Nablus raid before dawn, military vehicles entered through the Deir Sharaf checkpoint west of the city and deployed around Al-Ain refugee camp, where Israeli forces raided homes and arrested several Palestinians including a girl and her father from the Al-Masimi family.
In Qalqilya province, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a Palestinian man was shot with live ammunition and another Palestinian with a disability suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling tear gas. The TRT World report also said Israeli forces arrested Rimawi before taking him to an undisclosed location, while Anadolu Ajansı described the arrest as occurring during raids early on Thursday.
Detention wave and quotes
A Palestinian Journalists Syndicate statement condemned what it called the escalation of targeting Palestinian journalists, including the arrest of Nuqaa Hamid while she was crossing a military checkpoint in the town of Tayyuh near Bethlehem. The union said Hamid was returning from Hebron where she was working to film a news report for the Turkish English-language channel TRT, and it warned that continuing her detention raises serious concerns for her safety and life. The same statement said the number of journalists detained by the Israeli occupation has risen to 38, including five female journalists: Bushra Al-Tawil, Nuqaa Hamid, Islam Ammarna, Farah Abu Iyash, and Natalie Abu Dia.
It added that 19 journalists, about half of the total currently detained, are under administrative detention without clear charges or trials. The union also said it would coordinate with the International Federation of Journalists and international organizations to demand the protection and release of Nuqaa Hamid and all detained journalists.
Debt initiative and stakes
Multiple reports tied Alaa Al-Rimawi’s arrest to his recent public work, with Al-Jazira Net saying he launched a community initiative titled "Concessions to God" aimed at relieving debt for financially distressed people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Al-Jazira Net reported that the initiative expanded through social media, with the amount of debt canceled reaching about 15 million shekels (4.93 million USD), and it cited examples including canceling debts for a displaced woman in Gaza.
The same report said the Israeli army has not issued any statement regarding the reasons for the arrest or details of it, while Anadolu Ajansı said Rimawi’s arrest came less than a year after his release on Oct. 7, 2025, following two years in administrative detention.
In the broader context of journalist detentions, Drop Site News said Hamed spent the night in Israeli custody and is being interrogated about her journalistic work, and it quoted Wisam Karam saying, "We were forced to sit on the ground for around 45 minutes."
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate warned that continuing to use administrative detention against journalists and issuing sentences against them represents, in its view, a policy aimed at curbing press freedom and preventing journalists from performing their professional role.