From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 2, 2026
Palestinian journalist Samer Sweiha arrested; IDF claims he incited terrorist activity online
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
Palestinian media outlets report that Samer Khewira, a Palestinian journalist from Nablus, was arrested overnight.
The IDF tells The Times of Israel that “the suspect was arrested after inciting terrorist activity online. Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Israel Police for further investigation.”
Khewira is a Palestinian journalist who has been arrested several times in the past and spent nine months in administrative detention in 2025. He was eventually released in January 2026 without charges.
Less than a month ago, Khewira was interviewed for a Haaretz article in which he described the conditions in which Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli prisons.
התקשורת הפלסטינית מפרסמת שסאמר חוירה, עיתונאי משכם, נעצר הלילה על ידי צה״ל. סאמר התראיין לכתבה של @nirhasson ושלי למוסף הארץ על התנאים המזעזעים בבתי הכלא בישראל.
טרם ידועים לי פרטים נוספים על מעצרו, אבל הסמיכות מטרידה ועצם העובדה שישראל עוצרת עיתונאים פלסטינים צריכה להדיר שינה…— Hagar Shezaf (@hagar_shezaf) November 2, 2026
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