Al Mayadeen's bureau chief in occupied Palestine, Nasser al-Lahham

Ramallah, July 7 (RHC)-- Israeli forces have abducted Nasser al-Lahham, director of Al Mayadeen’s office in occupied Palestine, during a pre-dawn raid on his home in Beit Lahm, southern West Bank.

According to local witnesses, Israeli forces conducted a raid on al-Lahham’s home on Monday, deliberately damaging property while abducting him.  Soldiers reportedly smashed furnishings and confiscated all family mobile phones during the aggression.

Al Mayadeen Media Network issued a statement on Monday denouncing the move by Shin Bet officers and agents.  The statement said the abduction was carried out with “brutality and repression,” demanding al-Lahham’s immediate release.  “We are not surprised by the occupation’s sadistic practices, nor by its persistent hostility toward journalism, journalists, and the right to report the truth,” it added.

According to the statement, Nasser al-Lahham is a veteran Palestinian journalist with over three decades of experience and one of the most prominent media figures in the region. 

The move also drew condemnation across Palestinian political and media spheres.  Palestinian activist Sinan Shaqdeh told Al Mayadeen, “the arrest of journalist Nasser al-Lahham carries several implications, most notably an effort to target Al Mayadeen Network for conveying a narrative that challenges the Israeli version of events surrounding the ongoing genocide [in Gaza].”

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Palestine is currently considered the world’s most dangerous place for journalists amid the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza and the unprecedented massacre of individuals in the occupied territory.  This latest Israeli move reflects Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists.

The campaign intensified in October 2023 when Israeli forces stormed al-Lahham’s home, violently searching the property, assaulting family members, and forcibly taking his two sons, Basil and Basel, into custody.

The Israeli regime has renewed its ban on Al Mayadeen’s operations, seizing its broadcast equipment and restricting online access to its platforms.  This renewed suppression of the media outlet comes as the regime’s genocide in Gaza and its aggression across the West Bank persist.

The regime has escalated its West Bank violence since October 7, 2023, when it launched its genocide in Gaza. Since then, Israeli forces and settlers have killed about 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied territory.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, journalists have been among the hardest hit.
According to media watchdogs and Palestinian officials, over 230 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli forces—making it one of the deadliest wars for media workers in modern history.  Many were killed alongside their family members in targeted airstrikes on their homes.