The first known photograph of Palestinian journalist and Al-Araby TV correspondent Mohammad Arab has emerged since Israeli forces detained him more than two years ago, as he appeared at a court hearing on Sunday, Aug. 16.

Arab was detained by Israeli forces on March 14, 2024, while he was reporting from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during Israel’s second military raid on the medical complex.

The newly surfaced image provides the first public glimpse of the journalist since his detention, highlighting the prolonged isolation he has endured while being held without a conventional criminal charge or trial.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday heard an appeal in Arab’s case for the first time. His legal challenge seeks to stop the repeated extensions of his detention and contest the legal basis under which he has been held.

Israeli authorities have detained Arab under the country’s so-called “Unlawful Combatants Law,” a legal framework that allows authorities to hold Palestinians for prolonged periods without charging them or bringing them before a conventional criminal trial.

Palestinian rights advocates have repeatedly condemned such practices, arguing that prolonged detention without charge or meaningful judicial proceedings violates fundamental due-process rights and can leave detainees in a state of legal uncertainty for years.

Arab’s case has also raised renewed concerns over the treatment of Palestinian journalists working in Gaza, where reporters have faced extraordinary risks while documenting the consequences of Israel’s military campaign.

Arab was detained while carrying out his journalistic duties at Al-Shifa Hospital, one of Gaza’s largest medical facilities. Israeli forces have repeatedly raided the hospital during the war, claiming that Hamas used the complex for military purposes, allegations Hamas and Palestinian officials have denied.

The hospital has become one of the most prominent symbols of the devastation inflicted on Gaza’s healthcare system during the conflict.

For Palestinian journalists, documenting events from hospitals, refugee camps and areas affected by Israeli bombardment has often been the only way to provide the outside world with firsthand accounts of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the besieged territory.

Arab’s prolonged detention has therefore drawn attention to the wider restrictions and dangers confronting Palestinian media workers.

Palestinian organizations and rights groups have repeatedly called for an end to the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial, particularly when detainees are held for extended periods under military or emergency legislation.

The case of Mohammad Arab has added to those concerns, with his supporters demanding that his detention be ended and that he be afforded basic legal protections.

The emergence of his photograph after more than two years in detention has also brought renewed attention to the human cost of Israel’s detention policies and the vulnerability of Palestinian journalists documenting the war.

Arab’s appeal before Israel’s Supreme Court now places his continued detention under renewed judicial scrutiny, while his case remains emblematic of the wider struggle over press freedom, due process and the treatment of Palestinian detainees under Israeli authority. (ILKHA)