CPJ demands answers after deaths of journalist, media worker in Israeli custody

Amman, April 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to provide immediate and transparent explanations for the deaths in Israeli custody of Palestinian journalist Ihab Diab and media worker Marwan Harzallah, return their bodies to their families without delay, and ensure an independent, impartial investigation that leads to accountability. 

“The deaths of Ihab Diab and Marwan Harzallah in Israeli custody — and the shifting and opaque responses from authorities — raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and treatment of Palestinian journalists,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Israeli authorities must end the secrecy, establish the truth through independent investigations, return their bodies to their families, and ensure justice without delay.”

On December 12, 2023, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) arrested Diab, who worked as a photographer for Gaza-based Ain Media, from his uncle’s home on Al-Lababidi Street in northern Gaza. After months of investigation, CPJ learned of his death in custody through a February 26, 2026 petition submitted by his family to the IDF Military Prosecutor’s Office via the Israeli human rights organization Gisha, which included an earlier admission that “the deceased is being held in custody and stored in IDF facilities.”

For months, the IDF International Press Desk had denied any record of Diab’s detention, with a consistent response to CPJ’s inquiries that “there is no record of him being apprehended or detained by the IDF.” Only after being presented with the petition did it confirm on April 4, 2026 that “the body of the individual is confirmed to be held by the IDF,” adding, without providing evidence, that the journalist “served as a Hamas platoon commander and was therefore apprehended by the IDF.” When asked about how Diab died in their custody and when the body will be returned to his family, the IDF said, “no further comment.”

On January 8, 2026, Harzallah, a technician with Palestinian Authority-affiliated Palestine TV, was arrested at his home in the town of Zawata in northern occupied West Bank. While being held in administrative detention without charge, he died on March 28 in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, according to information relayed to his family by Palestinian officials. 

Family members told CPJ that Harzallah had no underlying health conditions. His nephew Fathi Harzallah said that “one of his legs had been amputated in 1995 after an injury by the IDF during a protest.” In an interview with the New Arab, he said that there are stong grounds to suspect his death was from “systematic torture and medical neglect policies in Israeli prisons.” These cases align with a broader pattern documented by CPJ, including testimonies of torture and medical neglect. 

The Israel Prison Services (IPS) declined to comment on Harzallah’s case in response to CPJ’s inquiry, saying, “Any incident involving the death of a prisoner is handled in accordance with established procedures and examined by the competent authorities.”

CPJ calls on the United Nations, including relevant special procedures and treaty bodies, to urgently demand accountability and press for independent international investigations into these cases. CPJ further urges the international community and U.N. member states to take concrete measures to ensure compliance with international law, including protections for detainees and journalists.

Two Palestinian Gaza-based journalists, Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdelwahid, have been missing since October 7, 2023. Israeli authorities have denied holding them, and their fate remains unknown. Credible reporting suggests they may have been detained or killed, underscoring the urgent need for full transparency regarding all missing journalists.

According to a report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, at least 90 Palestinian died in Israeli custody between October 7, 2023 and August 31, 2025.

Israeli authorities must immediately end the concealment of detainee deaths, ensure independent oversight of detention facilities, and uphold their obligations under international law. Failure to do so entrenches impunity and places journalists and detainees at continued risk.