Palestinian prisoners at Ketziot Prison, southern occupied territories, February 26, 2025. (Photo by Flash90)

Israel is imprisoning around 40 Palestinian journalists, including five women, as it intensifies a sweeping crackdown to silence the Palestinian press and suppress reporting on its violations and crimes, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS).

The PPS said Israeli authorities are also keeping three journalists under house arrest, while 19 of those currently detained are being held under administrative detention without charge or trial.

More than 250 Palestinian journalists have been arrested or detained since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the group said, with many later released.

More than 260 journalists have also been killed since the start of the war, according to the PPS.

The group said the arrests, killings and enforced disappearances of Palestinian journalists are part of a systematic Israeli campaign to silence the press, crush press freedom and prevent the world from seeing the violations and crimes committed against Palestinians.

Journalists held in Israeli detention have faced a range of abuses, including starvation, medical neglect, torture, mistreatment, sexual assault and harsh detention conditions, the PPS said.

It added that Israeli authorities have used administrative detention to imprison journalists indefinitely without charge or trial, often invoking "secret files," while accusations of "incitement" are increasingly deployed against journalists over their reporting and expression of opinion.

The PPS called on the international community to protect Palestinian journalists and guarantee their right to work, stressing that the press has been instrumental in documenting Israeli violations and crimes against Palestinians.

The latest figure comes after Israeli forces arrested journalist Mohammed Awad early Wednesday during a raid on his home in Beitunia, west of Ramallah.

Israeli forces also carried out a series of raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank, detaining seven Palestinians in the governorates of Ramallah and al-Bireh, Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm, according to the Palestinian Prisoners` Media Office.

According to figures cited by the office, Israeli authorities are currently holding around 9,400 Palestinian prisoners, including 94 women and 350 children.

The detainees also include 3,244 Palestinians held under "administrative detention" without charge or trial, as well as 1,320 held under what Israel calls the "Unlawful Combatants Law."

More than 24,600 arrests have been recorded since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.