The Journalist Support Committee has condemned the issuance of several administrative detention orders by the Israeli Occupation Court and the renewal of administrative detention for a number of journalists during July. In a special report on "press freedoms in the Palestinian territories", the committee highlighted the continuous issuance of administrative detention orders against Palestinian journalists, despite international warnings about the misuse of this law by the occupation and its failure to adhere to international standards, resulting in unjust detentions that classify detainees as prisoners of conscience.

The committee reported that on July 27, 2023, the Israeli Ofer Military Court renewed the detention of journalist Omar Abu Al-Rub, a correspondent for the Palestine Times Network, for the fifth consecutive time, adding an additional 4 months to his detention. He was initially arrested on April 1, 2022, when his house in Al-Irsal neighborhood was stormed and its contents destroyed. He was then transferred to Ofer Military Detention Center.

According to the committee, journalist Abu Al-Rub spent 16 months in administrative detention after the court issued the first order just 10 days after his arrest. Two days before his release date, the order was renewed for an additional six months. His administrative detention was then renewed twice in 2022 and three times in 2023.

The Journalist Support Committee reported that during the month of July, the occupation court renewed the administrative detention of journalist Nidal Abu Aker (55 years old) from the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem for the third consecutive time, for a period of six months. Abu Aker was re-arrested on August 1, 2022, just two and a half months after his previous release, having spent 23 months under administrative detention.

According to the committee, the total years of detention for journalist prisoner Abu Aker have now exceeded 18 years, with over 13 years served under administrative detention.

Additionally, the committee noted another case where the Israeli Salem Military Court issued a six-month administrative detention order against journalist Muhammad Anwar Muna (41 years old) on 2nd July 2023, shortly after his arrest in the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

It is important to highlight that journalist Mona's recent arrest marks the seventh time he has been detained in Israeli occupation prisons. He endured a total of seven and a half years behind bars, with the majority of that time spent under administrative detention. Notably, Mona actively participated in the open hunger strike staged by administrative prisoners in 2014.

According to the latest report from the Journalist Support Committee, the occupation authorities persist in the administrative detention of six other journalists. This practice involves the renewal of administrative detention based on the pretext of possessing a "secret file," which has raised concerns about the lack of transparency and legal procedures in these cases.

The report states that as of the beginning of the current year 2023, there have been (9) administrative decisions issued against detained journalists. These decisions include renewals of administrative detention for periods ranging from four to six months, and in some cases, multiple renewals have occurred.

The imprisoned journalists, whose administrative detention has been renewed and issued since the beginning of 2023, are as follows:

• Journalist Omar Abu Al-Rub: He received an administrative detention order on January 14 for a period of four months. Subsequently, his detention was renewed on March 30 of the same year for the fourth time in a row, this time for a period of six months. His detention was further renewed on July 27, 2023, for the fifth time, adding an additional four months.
• Journalist Yassin Abu Lafah: The Occupation Court renewed his administrative detention for the second consecutive time on January 13.
• Journalist Nidal Abu Aker: His administrative detention was renewed for the second time in a row on January 18 for a period of six months. Furthermore, the detention was renewed on July 25, 2023, for the third time, again for six months.
• Journalist Amer Abu Arafa: His administrative detention was renewed on January 13 for a period of four months, but he was later released.
• Journalist Muhammad Badr: On May 21, the Occupation Court issued an administrative detention order against him for a period of four months.
• Journalist Muhammad Anwar Mona: He was issued a six-month administrative detention order a few days after his arrest in the city of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank.
• Journalist Rajai Tariq Hamad: He is currently in administrative detention for the second time, for a period of six months.

The Journalist Support Committee has called on humanitarian and human rights institutions to intervene and put a stop to the policy of renewing administrative detention against journalists in occupation prisons. They also demand the release of all journalists and activists who are politically detained by the occupation without any legal justification.

Additionally, the Committee urges the UN Security Council to implement Resolution (2222), which provides protection for journalists and holds "Israel" accountable for its violations against Palestinian media professionals. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for the International Federation of Journalists and other advocates of freedom of the press and expression to support Palestinian media professionals, including the 20 currently held in occupation prisons, and work towards their release.