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Nidal al-Waheidi and Haitham Abdelwahed (in photo) are journalists from the occupied Gaza Strip. Both were detained by Israeli forces on 7 October while they were reporting the Hamas-led attack and are held in conditions constituting enforced disappearance. Since then, Israeli authorities have refused to disclose their whereabouts or the legal grounds and reasons for their arrest. Two and a half months since their disappearance, and no information has been shared about their whereabouts, not even confirmation that they are still alive. Israeli authorities must immediately disclose their whereabouts and the legal grounds for their arrest, grant them access to legal representation and ensure their humane treatment. Unless charged with an internationally recognized criminal offence, they must be immediately released.
February 28, 2026 – Palestine –
Two Palestinian journalists — Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haytham Abdel-Wahed — remain unaccounted for more than two years after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7 2023, raising persistent concerns from press freedom groups about the fate of media workers caught in the fighting and the lack of credible information about their status. The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has publicly pressed Israeli authorities for clear information on their whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, stressing that families and colleagues continue to suffer distress over the uncertainty.
Al-Wahidi and Abdel-Wahed — both experienced journalists with ties to local media in Gaza — were last seen on October 7, 2023, the same day Hamas-linked militants launched attacks into southern Israel, triggering a major military offensive and widespread hostilities in the Gaza Strip. Despite repeated appeals by RSF and other press advocacy organisations, no authoritative update has been provided by Israeli officials regarding their condition or possible detention. The void of official answers has left families and colleagues in prolonged anguish.
RSF emphasises that both Al-Wahidi and Abdel-Wahed were not combatants when they disappeared; rather, they were engaged in journalistic work on the ground in Gaza, documenting events and covering civilian life amidst rapidly escalating violence. The organisation has repeatedly called on relevant authorities to conduct transparent investigations and provide information that could clarify whether the journalists are alive, detained, wounded, or deceased. Such clarity, RSF says, is vital for families seeking closure and for the broader international community concerned with journalists’ protection.
In addition to appeals to Israeli authorities, RSF has urged international media freedom and human rights bodies to sustain pressure for answers, pointing out that enforced disappearances of journalists violate international humanitarian norms and endanger the essential role of the press in conflict reporting. The group has warned that without accountability or information, disappearances may fuel impunity and encourage further risks for journalists operating in war zones.
The plight of Al-Wahidi and Abdel-Wahed resonates with broader concerns over the high number of Palestinian journalists killed or missing in the Gaza conflict, underscoring sustained threats to media workers and the need for robust mechanisms to protect journalists and uphold international standards on reporting in war-affected areas.
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