Latifa Abdelatif, a prominent Palestinian freelance photojournalist whose work has been featured in major outlets such as Reuters, ABC News, BBC, Al Jazeera, and TRT, was arrested by Israeli police in Jerusalem on March 16, 2025, near the Damascus gate, while she was reporting.

Abdellatif’s lawyer Nasser Odeh told CNN that she had been interrogated for three hours on Sunday “about social media posts that are part of her professional work as a journalist.”

She faces charges of "incitement" and "supporting terrorism" due to her social media posts, including a video of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar expressing his wish to die as a martyr.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem reported that the forces arrested Jerusalemite journalist Latifa Abdul Latif from the Damascus Gate area in Jerusalem and extended her detention until she appears in court on Monday, March 17.

“The court found that based on her work as a journalist and based on the defense that these posts are part of her professional work, and that the posts are more than six months old, there is no need for keeping her in detention and she doesn’t create a danger to the public,” Abdellatif’s lawyer Nasser Odeh told CNN after the hearing.

Despite an Israeli judge ordering her release under restrictive conditions ( 2,000 Israeli shekels ($550) to be paid for bail and another 10,000 shekels as a guarantee that she would show up once called in for investigation), on March 17, Israeli police appealed the decision, resulting in a temporary extension of her detention.

Abdellatif has previously faced harassment by Israeli security forces, including incidents where she was physically pushed aside and verbally abused while covering events in Jerusalem. Her current detention highlights ongoing concerns about press freedom and the treatment of journalists in the region.

"CNN has witnessed her being harassed by Israeli security forces in the Old City on several occasions in the past, including being physically pushed aside and verbally abused. None of the occasions witnessed by CNN involved Abdellatif doing anything other than quietly standing on the side and using her camera to capture the events."

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate statement

The PJS condemned the arrest, noting that at least eight journalists have been detained or expelled from Jerusalem's Old City and the al-Aqsa Mosque this month. These incidents indicate an ongoing crackdown on journalists in Jerusalem, including arrests, interrogations, and restrictions on access to key locations. :

Arrests:

• Latifa Abdelatif – Arrested at Damascus Gate, detention extended until March 18. Released under condition.
• Nadine Ja’far – Arrested.
• Ahmed Jalajel – Arrested.
• Ibrahim Sinjlawi – Arrested.
• Rami al-Khatib – Arrested.
• Saif al-Qawasmi – Arrested.
• Mohammad Abu Sneineh – Arrested.
• Bayan al-Jo’beh – Arrested.
• Mohammad Sadeq – Arrested.

Summons and Interrogation:

Lana Kamleh – Summoned and interrogated for two hours at "Room 4" Center about her journalistic work.

Expulsions from Al-Aqsa Mosque:

Some of the arrested journalists were also expelled from Al-Aqsa Mosque.