Israeli forces detain journalist Mohammed Atiq in Burqin

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 15 November 2026 |  JP Middle East Desk

Israeli forces detained journalist Mohammed Ali Atiq after raiding his home in Burqin, WAFA reported. His father told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the family did not know where he was being held at the time of the interview.

Summary

BURQIN — Israeli forces detained Palestinian photojournalist Mohammed Ali Atiq after raiding his home in Burqin, west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, early Sunday, November 15, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Atiq, identified by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed as a photographer working with Agence France-Presse (AFP), was taken away after soldiers searched his home. His family said it had no information about his whereabouts following the detention.

His father, Ali Atiq, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Israeli soldiers entered the house at approximately 2 a.m., forced open the door and searched the premises for about half an hour.

Family describes overnight raid

According to his father, soldiers restrained and blindfolded Atiq before taking him away. They also confiscated mobile phones belonging to the journalist and his wife.

He said soldiers did not question his son during the raid. At the time of the interview, the family had not contacted a lawyer or legal organization and was hoping for his early release.

The authorities had not publicly disclosed the grounds for Atiq's detention, and the reports did not establish whether he faced any charges.

There was also no indication from the available reporting that he had been detained specifically because of his journalistic work.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Atiq, 34, had previously been detained by Israeli authorities and had experienced several encounters with Palestinian security agencies.

38 Palestinian journalists in Israeli prisons

In a separate report published later on November 15, WAFA cited the Palestinian Prisoners' Society as saying that 38 Palestinian journalists, including five women, were being held in Israeli prisons following Atiq's detention.

The figure was an updated count of journalists in custody, rather than the total number arrested since October 2023.

The society also said that two journalists from Gaza remained forcibly disappeared, with no clear information about their whereabouts or conditions of detention.

It expressed concern about the use of administrative detention and other legal measures against Palestinian journalists, including detention without formal charges.

Earlier encounters with security forces

Atiq has previously faced detention by both Israeli and Palestinian security authorities.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented his arrest by Israeli forces in August 2019 following a raid on his Burqin home. The organization said he was questioned about his journalistic work before a court ordered his release.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) documented his detention alongside another journalist while covering a protest in Jenin in July 2025. Both were subsequently released.

MADA also recorded a separate incident later that month involving his detention by Palestinian police and release the following evening.

The earlier incidents provide a history of his encounters with security authorities but do not establish the reasons for his latest detention.

As of the reports reviewed on November 15, there was no confirmed information about his release or a formal response from Israeli authorities concerning the case.

ATTRIBUTION: Prepared by JournalismPakistan. Sources: WAFA and Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, November 15, 2026; Palestinian Centre for Human Rights; Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA).

PHOTO: alexleonleon from Pixabay (For illustrative purposes only)