Israeli forces have detained a Palestinian journalist who has worked for news outlets including AFP, the Israeli military and his family said. Mohammed Awad, 38, who has shot videos for AFP in the occupied West Bank, was taken from his home near Ramallah on Wednesday and placed in a military vehicle, his wife Iman Shalash said. The Israeli military in a statement said that Awad was "suspected of advancing terror attacks" and said he operated on behalf of Hamas, without providing evidence or further details. His wife denied the allegation that he worked for Hamas. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society, a non-governmental group that advocates for detained Palestinians, said that Awad's detainment brought to 40 the number of Palestinian journalists held by Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate called Awad's arrest "an extension of the occupation's systematic policy of targeting Palestinian journalists". It is part of "a continuous attempt to silence the voice of the press and obstruct the transmission of the truth", it said.
