Mujahed Bani Mufleh, a 37-year-old Palestinian journalist, has described Israeli prisons as a “graveyard” following a serious decline in his health after six months of detention. Bani Mufleh was held in administrative detention by Israeli authorities on charges of inciting violence through his journalistic work. He was released in January 2026, only to suffer a severe brain hemorrhage two days later, which left him in critical condition.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Bani Mufleh is now recuperating in a hospital in Jenin, located in the occupied West Bank. He underwent multiple surgeries, including the removal of part of his skull, and is currently undergoing rehabilitation to regain basic functions such as speech and movement. Speaking about his experience, Bani Mufleh said he was assaulted during his arrest in 2025, describing physical abuse during a home raid and further beatings inside a military jeep immediately after his detention. He added that he was hospitalized on the first day of his incarceration after experiencing breathing difficulties caused by the alleged mistreatment.
Bani Mufleh, who edits the news website Ultra Palestine as part of the Ultra Sawt media network, stated that he was held without any formal charges or concrete evidence, emphasizing that the claim of incitement was unsubstantiated. Israeli military and prison officials had not responded to requests for comment on his case. Historically, Israeli prison authorities assert that detainees are held in accordance with the law and that their rights are respected.
Bani Mufleh’s case comes amid reports from Israeli, Palestinian, and international human rights organizations highlighting alleged mistreatment, torture, and worsening conditions inside Israeli prisons following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Since then, Israel has notably expanded its use of administrative detention, a practice allowing the detention of individuals without charge for up to six months and renewable indefinitely. Activists, students, academics, and journalists have reportedly been detained under this provision.
In a related case, Israeli authorities released Ali al-Samoudi, a 60-year-old journalist, from detention in Jenin after a year, with observers noting his severely emaciated condition. Data from the Committee to Protect Journalists as of June 3, 2026, indicates that since October 7, 2023, 108 journalists and media workers have been arrested in Israel and the occupied territories. Of these, 102 arrests were carried out by Israeli authorities and six by Palestinian authorities. Seventy-two detainees, including six held by Palestinian authorities, have since been released, while 36 remain in custody.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club characterized Bani Mufleh’s case as representative of what they describe as systemic abuses within the Israeli prison system.