Earlier this week, five journalists, including one who reported on Iranian missile strikes on the Israeli occupation, were arrested by Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank. One of the detainees, independent journalist Andrey X, has shared details of his experience in custody on X, shedding light on what he described as an "illegal detention" by Israeli occupation forces.

Andrey, a Palestine-based journalist and co-founder of Kompass Media, explained that he, along with four other journalists, including Grayzone reporter Jeremy Loffredo, was arrested at a military checkpoint on October 8, 2024. Among those detained were an American journalist, a Palestinian journalist, a Russian journalist, a Canadian videographer, and an Israeli photographer.

The arrest occurred after Loffredo published a report for The Grayzone exposing damage caused by Iranian missile strikes at Israeli military sites in Tel Aviv, which he said had been censored by the Israeli authorities. 

According to Andrey, their car was stopped at a checkpoint in the northern West Bank at approximately 1:00 PM local time. The group was held for an hour and a half while the occupation forces confiscated their documents and searched the car and personal items.

Tensions escalated when soldiers demanded the journalists surrender their phones. Upon refusal, one of the journalists was physically assaulted, dragged out of the car, and slammed onto the ground.

"When lying on the ground, they pointed two guns at his head," Andrey wrote. The rest of the journalists were ordered out of the vehicle, after which soldiers confiscated their phones, cameras, and other belongings. They were then forced to sit under the sizzling sun, causing the Palestinian journalist to feel dizzy and request medical assistance. However, the soldiers denied her request for an ambulance.

Blindfolded and handcuffed

After two hours, the journalists were blindfolded and handcuffed. Andrey noted that the Israeli photographer suffered a panic attack and was vomiting, but was allowed to remain without a blindfold after revealing that she is an Israeli settler. Meanwhile, the Palestinian journalist, who was visibly unwell, was left in the sun for an additional two hours before she was released.

The detained journalists endured further mistreatment following their initial arrest, according to Andrey X. "In the meantime, the other four journalists were stacked on top of each other into a military jeep and taken to a military base. There they were held blindfolded and handcuffed on the floor for two hours while being insulted and interrogated by the soldiers," he recounted.

During the ordeal, the Israeli photographer faced disturbing verbal abuse. "The soldiers told the female Israeli photographer that she should have been raped by Hamas," Andrey revealed.

Around 4:00 PM local time, the military transferred the group to the police, where they were taken to a police station. Andrey described the additional humiliation faced by the journalists at the station: "The journalists were forced to be photographed in front of an Israeli flag with a nationalist slogan on it, while the officers were insulting them."

Flagrant mistreatment

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They were interrogated about their political affiliations and work, denied access to legal representation, and refused food and water.

The female journalists were eventually released without charges around 11:00 PM, followed by the Russian-Israeli journalist at midnight. Loffredo, the American journalist, was held for three days before being released on October 11. Andrey said the Israeli occupation forces confiscated two phones and a camera, and they are yet to be returned.

He noted the unprecedented nature of the treatment faced by the journalists but stressed that this is the "standard procedure for kidnapping Palestinians across the West Bank."

The Grayzone later reported that although Loffredo's colleagues were released after 11 hours, the Israeli police's West Bank division opened an investigation into Loffredo for allegedly "aiding the enemy in a time of war." Authorities claimed that his report revealed sensitive locations of missile strikes near Israeli security facilities, accusing him of aiding future attacks.

Loffredo's report, which covered the aftermath of a missile strike by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on October 1, detailed significant damage to military sites in Tel Aviv. The retaliatory strike, known as Operation True Promise 2, was launched in response to the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran; and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut.

Operation True Promise 2 saw Iran launching at least 200 ballistic missiles against Israeli military and intelligence facilities across the occupied Palestinian territories.

The missiles fired by the IRGC's Aerospace Force targeted strategic Israeli military sites, including three air bases in Tel Nof, Nevatim, and Hatzerim.  The IRGC confirmed in a statement that the missile attacks targeted "three military bases" around Tel Aviv, as well as air and radar bases, adding that "90 percent" of the missiles "hit their targets."

According to the IRGC, the Nevatim base houses the F-35 fighter jets, while the Hatzerim base houses the F-15 fighter jets that were used to assassinate martyr Sayyed Nasrallah.

Despite these allegations, a journalist from Israeli news outlet YNet countered the claims, pointing out that the Israeli military had approved another article that embedded Loffredo's report. Furthermore, The Grayzone released a statement rejecting the accusations against Loffredo, affirming its full support.

The media outlet emphasized that the same locations featured in Loffredo's report were openly discussed in broadcasts by major news outlets like ABC News and PBS, neither of which faced any charges.

Journalists have no rights in 'Israel'

The Israeli occupation has long practiced abuse, threats, detention, and even murder against journalists.

A Palestinian journalist was killed by "Israel" in Gaza in late September, bringing the death toll to 173 journalists killed by the occupation since October 7. Abdullah Shakshak was a journalist who worked for multiple Arab media outlets. He was killed in the city of Rafah when an Israeli military quadcopter conducted an airstrike.

The Gaza media office issued a statement denouncing the occupation's targeting of Palestinian journalists, urging the international community to hold "Israel" accountable for "crimes against journalists."

The statement also called for the international community, international organizations, and media and journalism organizations to “deter the occupying Tel Aviv regime, pursue it in international courts for its ongoing crimes, and pressure it to stop the genocide and the killing and assassination of Palestinian journalists.”

Journalists reporting on the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip are faced with increased risks when they are on duty, including Israeli ground operations and airstrikes, disrupted communication lines, supply shortages, and power outages.