CrossFireArarbia

3-Month Pregnant Amina Al Taweel Speaks of Her Tough Detention in Israeli Jail

CrossFireArabia
May 7, 2026

By Dr Marwan Asmar

Three-month pregnant Amin Shaher Al Taweel was grabbed from her home by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night.

Her lawyer, Hassan Abadi, reveals shocking details about her condition as she is being held in the Israeli Damon Prison. He said Amina is three-month pregnant and is living in the most dire humanitarian state with no medical care.

Abadi explained that following a visit to the 36-year-old mother of four from the town of Kafr Thulth in the Qalqilya district of the northern West Bank.

The meeting was deeply moving, with Amina breaking down as she received wishes from her family; these were tears of joy at being reassured of her children and cries of sorrow at being separated from them.

Abadi said Amin’s greatest concern is for the well-being of her children and husband, noting he is “a wonderful father and husband,” and urged her lawyer to tell her daughters to take responsibility and stand by their dad, and sent a message to her mom asking for her prayers in these difficult circumstances.

Amina was arrested at dawn on 18 March, 2026, at 2:30 am, after preparing the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) for her children just two days before Eid al-Fitr.

The image of her children crying during her arrest continues to haunt her. Their pleas for her not to leave and stay with them to celebrate Eid is most difficult, she says.

Her lawyer said Amina was subjected to a harsh 25-day interrogation at the Al-Jalameh Interrogation Center held in solitary confinement in an underground cell. There, she lost 9 kilos with much psychological and physical pressure imposed on her. “The interrogation conditions were extremely harsh, things you can’t imagine,” Abadi emphasized.

Currently, Amina is being held in a cramped 4×4 meters room with six prisoners instead of two, in conditions lacking even the most basic of privacy. The bathroom inside the room has no door, exacerbating the prisoners’ suffering with the room including a minor and another pregnant woman.

Abadi that since she was brought to this prison Amina was subjected to repeated interrogation calls by raiding prison forces. These raids – six times so far – were accompanied by stun grenades, shouting, and verbal abuse, whilst being forced to kneel and some placed in solitary confinement for extended periods. She explained these measures are “repeated punishments.”

Abadi stressed Amina’s condition is alarming, especially since she is pregnant and suffers from seizures and blood clots. She is not receiving adequate nutrition, and needs healthy foods such as soup and green vegetables, which is not available in prison. He also noted the prison administration keeps delaying her needed pregnancy tests and won’t inform her of the results taken while her interrogations continue.

He added that the prison administration had confiscated her personal belonginngs and forced her into a prison uniform. But the other female prisoners gave her more appropriate prayer garments after altering them to fit her. This reflects the spirit of solidarity among the female prisoners despite the harsh conditions.

Abadi said Amina told him visits like this are the only source of comfort for the inmates, providing them news of their families. Through the lawyer, she also sent a message to her children, urging them to write in their diaries, send her letters, and keep a record of their daily lives in the hope of seeing them again.

In turn, Abadi promised he would launch an international campaign through the European Alliance for the Support of Palestinian Prisoners demanding her release, especially since she is pregnant.

The number of Palestinian women in Israeli jails has risen to 90 as of April 2026 according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Association. It states most of them are in the Damon Prison; they include two young girls and a pregnant woman in her third month.

This article is based on a report on the Falastine Al Ann website and appears in www.crossfirearabia.com

News

UN: ‘Gaza Most Dangerous Place in World For Journalists’

CrossFireArabia
May 4, 2026

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Gaza has become “the most dangerous place in the world for journalists,” citing the killing of hundreds of media workers during the ongoing war in Gaza.

In a statement posted Sunday on the X platform, the UN called on countries worldwide to move “beyond words of condemnation and solidarity” and take concrete steps to ensure accountability, protect journalists and allow independent international media access.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the war in Gaza has turned into “a deadly trap for the media,” noting that his office has verified the killing of nearly 300 journalists and the injury of many others since October 2023. Petra news agency

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Rich Palestine!

CrossFireArabia
May 4, 2026

Uncover the rich heritage and historical roots of Palestine through this rare 1930s British survey map. From Jerusalem to Haifa, every path tells a story of a culture that transcends time.

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Israel Attacked Palestine’s Press 300 Times in 2026

CrossFireArabia
May 4, 2026

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Sunday it had recorded about 300 violations and attacks against Palestinian journalists since the start of 2026, amid escalating targeting of media workers.

The announcement came during a rally organized by the syndicate outside its headquarters in the city of al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank, marking World Press Freedom Day and protesting continued attacks on journalists.

Participants raised banners demanding an end to the killing of media workers and accountability for Israel.

“Activities organized on World Press Freedom Day aim to highlight the exceptional and unprecedented conditions under which the Palestinian journalist operates,” Omar Nazzal, the deputy head of the syndicate, addressed the crowd.

Journalists are facing “the fiercest Israeli war machine,” he added, noting that more than 4,000 violations have been recorded against them since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

“The number of journalists killed has reached 262 male and female journalists since that date, including 261 in the Gaza Strip, in addition to six journalists killed since the beginning of 2026,” said Mohammad al-Lahham, head of the syndicate’s freedoms committee.

He added that the current year has also seen 10 direct injuries, 22 arrests, 120 cases of detention or prevention from coverage, and 12 attacks carried out by Israeli occupiers.

Lahham said total violations since October 2023 reached 3,983, including 1,072 in 2023, 1,325 in 2024, 1,286 in 2025, and 300 in 2026.

These violations included 240 cases of direct gunfire at media crews and 352 cases involving tear gas and stun grenades, as well as beatings, confiscation of equipment, and travel bans, he added.

The syndicate said in a report read at the event that it had documented 188 arrests since October 2023, along with the destruction of 187 media institutions and offices and 140 homes belonging to journalists.

The syndicate reported the killing of 713 family members of journalists, indicating that the targeting extended beyond media workers to their social environment.

The syndicate said the targeting of journalists “is not individual behavior” but part of a “systematic policy” aimed at restricting journalism and silencing the Palestinian narrative, particularly amid field coverage of events.

It called on the UN and international organizations to provide urgent protection for Palestinian journalists, open independent investigations into violations, and ensure accountability.

The Israeli genocidal war on Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, and has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000, according to Palestinian figures.

Despite a ceasefire in effect since October 2025, Israel continues daily strikes and a blockade that has killed hundreds more and worsened humanitarian conditions in the enclave, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced.

News

‘Stop Killing Our Journalists’

CrossFireArabia
May 4, 2026

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in the Gaza Strip held a protest Sunday calling for international protection for reporters and an end to Israel’s “genocide” against media workers amid the ongoing war since October 2023.

Coinciding with the World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the rally took place outside a solidarity tent run by the syndicate in the courtyard of the destroyed Rashad al-Shawa Cultural Center in western Gaza City.

Journalists, correspondents from local and international outlets, and representatives of media and rights organizations took part, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Participants raised banners demanding protection for journalists, an end to direct targeting, and guarantees for press freedom under “extremely dangerous” security and humanitarian conditions.

The Israeli genocidal war on Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, and has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000, including women and children.

Systematic targeting

Tahseen al-Astal, deputy head of the journalists syndicate in Gaza, said Palestinian journalists continue to carry out their work despite a “policy of systematic targeting” by Israel.

“The Palestinian journalist will not abandon his identity, his narrative, or his mission and will remain committed to conveying the truth to the world,” he told participants.

Threats, killings, and attacks on journalists’ families and workplaces constitute a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” Astal said.

He called on international institutions and the International Federation of Journalists to assume their legal and moral responsibilities to provide protection for reporters in Gaza.

He urged an end to “the genocide on civilians and journalists and accountability for those responsible,” warning that “impunity encourages further violations against media workers.”

Ahed Farawna, secretary of the syndicate, told Anadolu that targeting journalists in Gaza represents “one of the gravest crimes against journalism in modern history.”

He said more than 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the war, alongside hundreds injured or detained and extensive destruction of media institutions.

Such targeting reflects a “systematic approach to silencing the Palestinian media voice,” Farawna added.

He stressed that the international community bears a moral and legal responsibility to act urgently to protect journalists and hold perpetrators accountable.

Calls for international action

Mohammad Abu Nammous, a correspondent for Al-Ghad TV, told Anadolu that more than 262 journalists have been killed by Israel since October 2023.

A number of journalists remain detained or in unclear conditions, while more than 420 have been injured during field coverage, he added.

“The (Israeli) occupation has destroyed most media offices, causing major paralysis in the media infrastructure inside the enclave,” he said.

“These figures reflect a policy targeting press freedom and restricting access to information,” he added, calling for translating international support for press freedom into concrete measures on the ground.

Nahed Abu Harbeed, a correspondent for Alkofiya TV, said journalists in Gaza continue to work “despite significant risks.”

“They operate under direct threat of bombardment and targeting,” she told Anadolu.

Many journalists have lost colleagues during the war, yet continue their work out of a commitment to conveying the truth and documenting violations, she added.

In addition to daily bombardment, Israel continues to block the entry of agreed-upon quantities of food, medicine, medical supplies, and shelter materials into Gaza, where about 2.4 million Palestinians—including 1.5 million displaced—face dire conditions.