Ali al‑Samoudi, a 59‑year‑old Palestinian journalist from Jenin, was released after a year held in Israeli administrative detention without formal charges. He describes extreme weight loss, minimal rations, bans on books and writing materials, and repeated physical abuse, and recounts witnessing the death of a 22‑year‑old cellmate. Samoudi, who has worked for international outlets and was wounded at the 2022 shooting that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, denies Israeli claims he financed Islamic Jihad and says interrogators focused on his reporting. Despite fearing re‑arrest, he vows to continue his journalism.
“It Was a Real Hell”: Palestinian Journalist Ali al‑Samoudi Describes Year in Israeli Detention
Courtesy of al-Samoudi family
Ali al‑Samoudi gingerly descended the steps outside his home in Jenin, a 59‑year‑old man whose gaunt frame and closely cropped gray hair reflect a year of severe deprivation. Colleagues who have worked with him for years said they barely recognized him after his release from Israeli detention.
Samoudi was released last week after spending a year in custody under Israeli administrative detention orders. He was never formally charged; administrative detention allows the Israeli military to hold Palestinians without trial for up to six months at a time, with orders renewable indefinitely.
Ali al-Samoudi, wearing a gray prison outfit, seen after he was released from Israeli prison with his son & brother supporting him on April 30, 2026 - Samoudi family
“It was a real hell. Prison today is hell in every sense of the word,”
“Everything they practiced with us was punishment and revenge.”
Allegations, Denial and International Context
The Israeli military said when Samoudi was detained in April 2025 that he was suspected of being linked to Islamic Jihad and of transferring funds to the group. Samoudi strongly denied the allegations, saying interrogators never questioned him about financing and instead focused on his reporting. He described his arrest as part of a broader effort to intimidate and silence Palestinian journalists.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Samoudi is one of 105 Palestinian journalists detained since October 7, 2023; most were held without charge. CPJ ranked Israel as the third‑worst jailer of journalists in 2025, after China and Myanmar, and said 33 Palestinian journalists remain imprisoned.
Ali al-Samoudi at a Shireen Abu Akleh memorial with children. - CNN
Conditions and Abuse Allegations
Samoudi detailed extreme weight loss and harsh conditions. He said he lost roughly 60 kilos (about 132 pounds) during his year in detention — roughly half his body weight. He described deliberately minimal food rations, bans on books, pens and paper, and humiliating or dehumanizing supplies, such as a weekly shampoo portion labeled for dogs.
He recounted repeated physical abuse during transfers and daily movement: beatings after visits with lawyers and on the way to clinic appointments.
“One time after I returned from a visit with the lawyer, they threw us on the ground, on our faces and they started hitting us,”he said.
An Israeli officer stood and stepped on my head and pressed my face into the ground for four minutes until I suffocated.
Ali al-Samoudi on assignment with CNN in Jenin, West Bank, in January 2025. - CNN
Samoudi also described the death of a young cellmate, 22‑year‑old Louay Turkman of Jenin, who grew gravely ill and — Samoudi said — was repeatedly denied medical care by guards. Prisoners carried Turkman on a mattress to the yard the following morning, where he died in front of fellow inmates. Israel’s Prison Service did not respond to requests for comment about Samoudi’s detention or Turkman’s death.
In response to reports of poor nutrition, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered improvements after ruling in September that the state was failing to meet prisoners’ basic nutritional needs. Still, some political figures overseeing prisons publicly defended limited provisions.
Samoudi’s Response and Outlook
A veteran local producer and fixer for international outlets, Samoudi was at the scene when Palestinian‑American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot in 2022 and was himself wounded in that incident. Despite fearing re‑arrest, he says he will return to reporting:
“My journalistic work is part of my life. It is my mission in this life.”
Requests for comment to Israel’s Prison Service were not answered for this report. The allegations in this article are Samoudi’s account, supported by local colleagues and figures cited by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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