Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court

Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court
Rasha Herzallah, 39, worked for WAFA at the time of her arrest last June (Screengrab)
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Updated 19 November 2024
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Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court

Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court
  • Detention extended 5 times before ‘incitement on social media’ charge was brought

LONDON: An Israeli military court sentenced Palestinian journalist Rasha Herzallah to six months in jail on Sunday and fined her 13,000 shekels ($3,300).

Herzallah, 39, was working for the official Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) at the time of her arrest last June, when she was summoned to an investigation at the Israeli Huwwara detention center north of the occupied West Bank. 

Her detention was extended five times before a charge of “incitement on social media” was brought to court at the Israeli Salem military base near Jenin. She is expected to be released from prison on Dec. 1.

Herzallah is the sister of Muhammad Herzallah, who died in November 2023 after being shot in the head by Israeli forces during a raid on Nablus city, WAFA reported. She is among 94 Palestinian journalists currently detained in Israeli jails.

WAFA reported that three other female journalists, Rola Hassanin, Bushra Al-Tawil and Amal Shujaiyah, a journalism student from Birzeit University, also remain in detention.


BBC satellite analysis shows Israel razed entire Gaza neighborhoods since ceasefire began

BBC satellite analysis shows Israel razed entire Gaza neighborhoods since ceasefire began
Updated 12 November 2025
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BBC satellite analysis shows Israel razed entire Gaza neighborhoods since ceasefire began

BBC satellite analysis shows Israel razed entire Gaza neighborhoods since ceasefire began
  • Israel destroys over 1,500 buildings, says BBC Verify
  • Tel Aviv regime denies it has been violating ceasefire

LONDON: Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in Gaza since a ceasefire agreement with Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, according to an investigation by BBC Verify that analyzed recent satellite imagery.

The analysis, released on Wednesday, focused on areas under Israeli control behind the so-called “Yellow Line,” a boundary established in terms of the ceasefire.

Visual evidence showed entire neighborhoods were flattened within weeks, including homes that appeared undamaged before demolition began.

Images from Khan Younis and Rafah showed orchards, gardens, and residential structures erased.

The BBC said it “used a change detection algorithm to analyse radar images taken before and after the ceasefire to highlight changes, which might indicate destruction, then manually counted visibly destroyed buildings.”

It also noted the actual number could be much higher, as satellite imagery was unavailable for some areas.

The demolitions, which BBC Verify said appear to have been deliberate and widespread, have raised questions among legal and regional experts over whether Israel is violating the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, a deal supported by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye.

The agreement explicitly called for a suspension of “all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment.”

However, Israel maintains its actions are in line with the deal. The Israel Defense Forces stated that it is dismantling “terror infrastructure, including tunnels,” as required by the agreement.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has said demilitarizing Gaza is a central goal, and pointed to language in the peace plan that allows for the destruction of militant infrastructure.

Former Israeli officials argued that operations behind the Yellow Line do not violate the ceasefire, since those zones remain under the control of the Israeli army. Verified footage of demolitions has been geolocated to those areas.