In a sweeping overnight campaign across the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least ten Palestinians, including one of Palestine’s most respected journalists, Dr. Nasser Laham. The editor-in-chief of Ma’an News Agency, Laham was taken from his home near Bethlehem after troops ransacked the property, marking yet another alarming escalation in Israel’s targeting of the Palestinian press.

At 58, Laham is a veteran voice of Palestinian journalism, known for his fearless reporting and sharp analysis. His arrest has sent shockwaves through media circles, with advocates warning of a deepening assault on press freedom.

The raids extended well beyond Bethlehem. In Hebron, soldiers detained multiple residents and arrested the wife of a Palestinian prisoner, reportedly as leverage to pressure his surrender. In Nablus, Ramallah, and surrounding villages, homes were stormed, vehicles destroyed, and families harassed, part of a growing pattern of collective punishment.

Human rights organisations have condemned the detentions as politically motivated and part of Israel’s broader campaign to silence dissent, dismantle Palestinian civil society, and suppress truth-tellers. In a land where journalism is resistance, the arrest of voices like Laham’s is not just repression, it’s an attempt to erase memory itself.