⭕️ Images of Palestinian Journalist Mohammad Arab in Court Encapsulates Genocidal Reality for Thousands of Palestinian Political Prisoners

Palestinian Prisoner’s Society

August 16, 2026

Ramallah, occupied Palestine – The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society stated that the appearance of Palestinian journalist Mohammad Arab during his court hearing today before the Israeli occupation’s Supreme Court, to consider the appeal submitted by his lawyer Khaled Mahajneh, represents one of the scenes that have become a constant feature of the period following the start of the genocide. Thousands of released Palestinian political prisoners emerged looking drastically different from their pre-arrest appearances, due to the systematic torture, ill-treatment, starvation, and humiliation they endured, in addition to the severe psychological trauma inflicted upon them.

The PPS emphasized that the case of journalist Mohammad Arab is representative of the cases of hundreds of journalists targeted by arrest, direct killing, and systematic assassinations, which continue to this day and constitute one of the bloodiest periods for journalists. It emphasized that appealing to the occupation courts and demanding his release does not reflect faith in these courts, which today constitute one of the tools of ongoing genocide. Rather, it comes within the framework of an attempt to break the prisoner's isolation and to raise questions and issues that must remain on the table for the occupation authorities, including its judicial system.

In this context, the PPS pointed out that the occupation continues to detain approximately 40 journalists, out of more than 250 journalists who have been arrested and detained since the genocide. It is worth noting that two journalists, Nidal al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdel-Wahed, remain forcibly disappeared since October 7, 2026. The PPS also noted that two detained journalists, Marwan Harzallah and Ihab Diab, have been martyred in Israeli occupation prisons since the genocide.

The imprisoned journalist Mohammed Arab, detained by the Israeli occupation under the designation of "unlawful combatant"—meaning he has been held without charge or trial for nearly two years—along with dozens of other journalists who were later released, provided shocking and harrowing testimonies about their experiences in Israeli occupation prisons and detention centers. These testimonies included accounts of sexual assaults, including rape. During previous visits, Arab gave a shocking account of the torture and abuse he and his fellow prisoners endured in various Israeli prisons and military camps, along with other grave violations.

It is worth noting that the number of prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons reached approximately 9,400 by the beginning of August, including 1,320 whom the occupation classifies as "unlawful combatants" under the "Unlawful Combatant Law." The majority of these prisoners are from the Gaza Strip, along with prisoners from Lebanon and Syria.