Israeli police arrested journalist Latifeh Abdellatif on Sunday on suspicion of promoting terrorism and glorifying Hamas. Abdellatif, a well-known journalist and a member of the Government Press Office, was taken into custody from her home in Jerusalem’s Old City following an intensive police investigation into her online activity.

According to police, Abdellatif published material between October and December that praised Hamas, including a video featuring Yahya Sinwar, the terror group’s former leader in Gaza, who orchestrated the October 7 massacre.

Jerusalem District Police Superintendent Assaf Harel confirmed the arrest, saying, “The connection between incitement and violence, disturbances, and terrorism is direct and clear. Therefore, the issue is a key focus for us.”

Harel emphasized that police are conducting extensive monitoring efforts, both online and offline, to prevent and shut down incitement before it turns into deadly action.

Pro-Palestinian activists have reportedly begun demanding Abdellatif’s release, but authorities remain firm against what they call “dangerous propaganda fueling terror.”

Abdellatif has an extensive media background, having worked for Reuters, ABC News, Al Jazeera English, and the BBC. She currently has 210,000 followers on Instagram and is employed by UNFPA Palestine, a UN organization that claims to focus on reproductive health in Palestinian territories.

Her arrest is part of a larger effort to crack down on journalists accused of glorifying terrorism and promoting attacks against Israelis.

Abdellatif’s arrest follows a string of high-profile detentions as Israel moves to shut down incitement masquerading as journalism or activism.

Just last week, police launched an investigation into Israeli journalist Israel Frey, who allegedly praised Palestinian terror attacks on social media. Frey posted: “A Palestinian who harms an IDF soldier or a settler in the apartheid territories is not a terrorist… He is a hero.”

In February, police also arrested Arab stand-up comedian Nidal Badarny after he mocked Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Following public outrage, his upcoming shows in Haifa and Nazareth were canceled, and police threatened to shut down venues that hosted him.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)