The story of Naqaa Hamed, Press TV’s West Bank correspondent abducted by Israeli regime forces

By Press TV Website Staff

Naqaa Hamed, 38, is from the village of Beitin in northeastern Ramallah, occupied West Bank.

A Palestinian-American journalist, wife, and a mother of three children (two boys and one girl), she studied media and sociology at the undergraduate level and contemporary Arab thought at the graduate level at Birzeit University.

Hamed’s professional career as an independent journalist with a history of working with numerous local and international media outlets began more than 15 years before she joined Press TV in 2024.

During that period, she gained significant experience in various roles, including reporting, editing and content production, and developed expertise in covering political and humanitarian crises in the region, with a particular focus on Palestinian issues and an emphasis on the ongoing Israeli settler-colonialism.

Amid developments following the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in early 2024, Hamed joined Press TV as a correspondent and began providing extensive, field-based coverage of critical events, ranging from escalating Israeli military raids against Palestinians to the stories of the steadfastness and resistance of ordinary Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Just as she had previously produced impactful reports and special features while working with numerous local and international media outlets, she soon distinguished herself in her new role as well, with her exclusive reports and exemplary courage, drawing widespread attention.

In addition to field reporting, Hamed also took part in the production of documentaries addressing the human consequences of the Israeli occupation and bringing the voices of marginalized communities to global audiences.

Known for her riveting style of storytelling, which combines precision in presenting facts with emotional depth, she continued to reflect the realities of life in the occupied West Bank.

Last month, the Press TV correspondent in the occupied West Bank was targeted by the occupation forces. Israeli regime forces deliberately targeted journalists present at the scene while she was covering the Israeli military raid on the Qalandia refugee camp north of occupied Al-Quds, leaving her injured.

Israeli occupation forces attacked the journalists by firing stun grenades and throwing tear gas while the professional media markings on their clothing were clearly identifiable.

Hamed had previously also been targeted by Israeli regime forces. In December 2025, she was injured after the occupation forces fired rubber bullets while she was reporting live from Qalandia camp in the occupied West Bank.

Beginning in late August 2026, she came under a vicious cyberattack and smear campaign. The Mossad Commentary account on the X social media platform published a post targeting Hamed, calling her an “agent of propaganda in Israel’s backyard.”

The post referred to Hamed’s reports for Press TV from areas including Qusra, Nablus, Ramallah, Qalandia and Yatta and described her activities as part of “Iran’s media influence.”

The smear campaign against the Palestinian journalist was not limited to a single account. Other regime-affiliated accounts, such as “DeepState Illuminate,” “Israel News Pulse” and several others, also reinforced the media pressure campaign against Hamed by publishing similar content and using identical language.

Focusing on the journalist’s presence in “Area B” (which is under Israeli military control), these accounts provocatively asked, “How can she still operate in Israel’s backyard without being arrested?” They also claimed that Press TV is the official media arm of the Iranian government. This was part of a targeted psychological and media pressure campaign aimed at restricting the breathing space available to media outlets and also blocking the flow of Press TV’s reporting on Israeli genocidal crimes to global public opinion.

On September 14, Israeli regime forces, in a terrorist act, raided a checkpoint near the town of Tuqu’ in Bethlehem and abducted Hamed. She was subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location without informing her family.

Hamed was traveling with a camera crew when Israeli occupation forces stopped them at a checkpoint near the settlement of Tuqu’ in southeastern Bethlehem. One of her colleagues told Press TV that after searching the group, Israeli occupation forces abducted Hamed and released the cameramen.

According to information provided by Hamed’s colleagues and family in a report published on September 15, a lawyer who spoke with Hamed by telephone informed her family that she had spent the night in an Israeli occupation detention center and was being harshly interrogated in connection with her journalistic activities.

Hamed, who also contributes to other media outlets, including the US-based website Drop Site, was detained near the village of Tuqu’ in Bethlehem while she was returning from the southern occupied West Bank with two other Palestinian journalists who were reporting for Turkey’s TRT news network, after working on a report about the escalation of Israeli settler attacks in the Masafer Yatta area.

Wissam Karam, a cameraman working with TRT who was in the vehicle with Hamed, told Drop Site: “Three female soldiers ordered our vehicle to stop. They asked for our identification cards and took photographs of all the cards and of us.”

According to him, shortly afterward, the regime forces ordered the team to get out of the vehicle and walk toward a nearby military observation tower.

Karam added: “They forced us to sit on the ground for about 45 minutes, during which time the female soldiers took Naqaa aside.”

According to Karam, when Hamed was brought back to sit on the ground with her colleagues, she said she had been interrogated about her work and the subjects she had been covering. About 15 minutes later, the regime forces asked Hamed to hand over her mobile phone and laptop, and then transferred her to a detention facility.

Karam and the other journalists present were released and ordered to leave the area, while the regime forces refused to provide any further information about Hamed’s situation.

Hamed is an independent Palestinian-American journalist who works with several international media outlets. According to her colleagues, over the past several weeks, following her coverage of Israel’s siege of Palestinian families in the village of Qusra, Israeli settlers launched a wave of incitement and a smear campaign against Hamed on Telegram channels and Hebrew-language media outlets.

According to information published on September 15, Hamed’s family also contacted the US Embassy in occupied Al-Quds regarding her detention, but have so far received no response. She holds dual Palestinian and American citizenship.

The Israeli media outlet Ynet, citing anonymous Israeli military sources, reported that Hamed is “suspected of cooperating with an enemy entity and may also be suspected of espionage.” When Drop Site asked the Israeli military spokesman about her case, he declined to comment and referred further inquiries to the Israeli police.

A reporter for the anti-Iran propaganda media outlet “Iran International” also published a biased and provocative report on September 16, emphasizing Hamed’s cooperation with Press TV and attempting to amplify the issue of Hamed’s suspected “espionage,” without any evidence.

At the time of filing this report, Hamed remains in Israeli police custody without any charges.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk