Israeli forces release Al Jazeera journalist in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have released Al Jazeera correspondent Montaser Nassar and several other people hours after arresting them during a raid in the southern occupied West Bank.

Nassar was arrested early on Tuesday at his home in Dura, near the city of Hebron.

Video of the arrest shows Israeli forces leading Nassar, who was blindfolded and handcuffed, into a military vehicle.

Reporting from Hebron, Al Jazeera’s Mohamed al-Atrash said at least 20 Palestinians were detained in the raid on Dura, including Nassar, before Israeli forces withdrew from the town hours later.

Nassar had been reporting on the raid near his home when troops moved on his house.

“He went towards the door, according to his wife’s account, but saw soldiers advancing towards the residential building where he lives before the army raided this particular house,” Atrash said.

“The army entered and assaulted his wife before confiscating our colleague Montaser’s personal phone.” Nassar was then taken away with other detainees at about 2:30am (00:30 GMT).

Atrash said such raids are “part of the daily reality experienced in the West Bank”. Detainees are either jailed or released after field interrogations by officers from Israel’s Shin Bet security service.

Israel is holding at least 40 Palestinian journalists, “half of whom are held under administrative detention without charge”, Atrash added.

The arrest comes amid mounting pressure on Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate recorded 84 alleged press violations by Israeli forces and settlers in August alone, including arrests and a death in custody.

Last week, Israeli forces raided Al-Ghad TV’s Hebron office. Israel raided and shut down Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau in the West Bank in 2024.