Palestinian Journalists' Union Warns Ali Al-Samoudi Faces Death in Israeli Prisons

The Palestinian Journalists' Union (SJP) warned that journalist Ali Al-Samoudi is at risk of death in Israeli prisons after Israeli authorities extended his administrative detention by a further four months.

“The Palestinian Journalists' Union (SJP) warns about the detention conditions of their colleague Ali Al-Samoudi, whose health has dangerously deteriorated”

Agence Media Palestine

The SJP said the statement was issued “yesterday” and that the warning came as “Israeli authorities have just extended his administrative detention by a further four months.”

Agence Media Palestine

The SJP described administrative detention as a system that allows Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinians “for 'security reasons' without having to justify them.”

In the same warning, the SJP cited a tally by Adaameer in November last year that “3,368 Palestinians are detained under this provision,” for “a duration renewable indefinitely.”

The SJP framed the policy as systematic, saying it aims to “silence the Palestinian voice and suppress the truth.”

The union said Al-Samoudi, 59, is held at the Megiddo Israeli detention center, which it described as “notoriously overcrowded,” and it said it has documented ill-treatment there including “minors,” “assaults,” “humiliating treatment,” and “harsh detention conditions.”

The SJP also said that “Famine, overcrowding, hygiene problems and deprivation of food have also been regularly reported at the center,” and it pointed to a pediatrician from Physicians for Human Rights reporting “the death of a 17-year-old detainee in this center,” who was suffering “severe undernourishment putting his life at risk.”

After months of warnings about his health, Ali Al-Samoudi was released from Israeli detention on Thursday evening, according to WAFA and other outlets describing his condition.

WAFA reported that Israeli occupation authorities released Palestinian journalist and detainee Ali Al-Samoudi, 59, “on Thursday evening following a year of arbitrary detention without charges or trial,” and it said he appeared with “significantly altered physical features upon his release, including severe weight loss.”

Agence Media Palestine

WAFA attributed the weight loss to “systematic starvation practices within Israeli detention camps,” and it said the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society cited “repeated abuse, torture, denial of basic rights, and frequent transfers accompanied by assaults during his detention.”

TRT World said Samoudi spoke to reporters “on Thursday following his release after a year of imprisonment in Israeli jails,” and it reported that he said he lost nearly half his body weight, “dropping from 120 kilogrammes to around 60.”

In his testimony to reporters, TRT World quoted him saying, “These prisons are a real hell and become cemeteries for the living.”

Al Jazeera similarly described his family saying he was held “without charge and feared he would die in custody,” and it described his release as “unrecognisable.”

The Al-Jazeera Net text added that Israeli authorities released him “yesterday, Thursday,” and it said he was arrested from his home in the city of Jenin at the end of April 2025.

In the accounts of his release, Ali Al-Samoudi described the conditions inside Israeli prisons in terms of starvation, deprivation, and the absence of basic necessities.

TRT World quoted him describing food shortages and poor-quality meals, saying, “The food is really bad and it's such small amounts it's not enough for a cat to survive on.”

TRT World also reported that he said there were “no pens or notebooks or mirrors,” and it quoted him saying, “I'm seeing myself for the first time today on this phone and I don't know what to say.”

In the same interview, TRT World quoted him urging families not to abandon detainees, saying, “Do not abandon them.”

He also said, “They are hungry for freedom and dignity,” and he called for “freedom for the detainees.”

The Al-Jazeera Net text similarly quoted him describing prisons as “a real hell and graves for the living,” and it said he had lost about half his weight “dropping from 120 kilograms to around 60” due to “miserable conditions and policies of starvation.”

WAFA’s account echoed the same pattern by saying the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society cited “frequent transfers accompanied by assaults during his detention.”

The release coverage also placed Ali Al-Samoudi’s case within a broader detention landscape described by Palestinian prisoner organizations and media.

TRT World said, “According to the Prisoners' Society, Samoudi is among more than 3,530 Palestinians held under so-called 'administrative detention', in addition to over 40 journalists still held in Israeli prisons, including four women.”

Al-Jazeera Net

WAFA similarly reported that Al-Samoudi is “among more than 3,530 administrative detainees currently imprisoned by Israel without charges or trial, as well as over 40 journalists, including four women, who remain in custody.”

The Agence Media Palestine warning earlier cited Adaameer’s tally that “3,368 Palestinians are detained under this provision,” and it described the practice as “a duration renewable indefinitely.”

In the same Agence Media Palestine account, the SJP said that “On Saturday, January 3, the Forum of Palestinian Journalists stated that at least 55 journalists were killed by Israel in 2025,” bringing to “257 the total number of journalists killed since the start of the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.”

The SJP also quoted Palestinian journalist Shuruq As’ad telling Palestine Media Agency, “In response, Western media stay silent and forget us. It is a huge disappointment. But we will not stop reporting, and denouncing both Israel’s silencing efforts and the international silence.”

The Al-Jazeera Net text also said there are “more than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons,” including children and women, facing “torture, starvation and medical neglect.”

The sources also describe ongoing demands for release, medical care, and accountability, alongside uncertainty about what happens next for detainees and for journalists.

“Almost unrecognizable to his own self, the Palestinian journalist Ali Al-Samodi appeared with a gaunt, exhausted body, as if a full year of captivity had condensed into years of misery, leaving its mark on the man who was about to turn sixty”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Agence Media Palestine account said the SJP “reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Ali Al-Samoudi and calls for guarantees that he receive urgent and adequate medical care.”

Al-Jazeera Net

It also said the SJP “denounces beatings and humiliations suffered by Al-Samoudi at Megiddo prison,” describing his detention conditions as “harsh and inhumane, amounting to torture and degrading treatment, in violation of international conventions.”

After his release, WAFA said the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society renewed its call for “the immediate release of all detained journalists” and called for “the disclosure of the fate of journalists from Gaza who are being held under conditions of enforced disappearance.”

WAFA further said the organization called on “the United Nations and international institutions to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities,” urging “concrete action” to address violations against detainees.

In the Al-Jazeera Net text, the release is described alongside “Charges without evidence,” saying the Israeli army accused Samodi of links to the Islamic Jihad movement and claimed he was suspected of transferring funds, but “the army did not provide any evidence at that time,” and “it is not clear whether the charges against the Palestinian journalist have been completely dropped or not.”

TRT World quoted him saying, “I hope for freedom for the detainees and I ask their families to take care of them and to never abandon them.”