Elham Asaad Buaras
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has ruled that Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel may be referred to as “hostages,” The Telegraph reported on April 30.
The decision followed a headline in the Scottish newspaper The National, which stated that “hundreds of Palestinian hostages” had been released by Israel, a reference to the recent prisoner exchange under the ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The ruling has drawn sharp criticism from Adam Levick, UK co-editor of the pro-Israel media watchdog Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting, who lodged a formal complaint. Levick argued that such terminology conflates the suffering of Israeli civilians abducted during Hamas’s October 7 attacks with those detained by Israel, many of whom have never been convicted of any crimes.
“This decision dangerously blurs the line between victims of terrorism and those who have been arbitrarily detained or convicted without fair trials,” Levick said, describing the headline as a “gross misrepresentation” that violates IPSO’s own code on accuracy.
However, recent reports from human rights organizations cast serious doubt the status of Palestinian detainees. Both the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Amnesty International have raised alarm over Israel’s use of arbitrary detention, with thousands of Palestinians—many civilians, including children, teachers, and medical workers—being held without trial or charge. According to OHCHR, “thousands of Palestinians are detained under conditions that violate international law, with many subjected to cruel and degrading treatment while denied basic rights to a fair trial.” (OHCHR Report, July 2024)
Amnesty International also condemned Israel’s widespread use of administrative detention, where individuals can be held indefinitely without charge or legal recourse. “Many Palestinians have been detained without evidence or even being informed of the charges against them,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East Director. “This practice violates fundamental human rights and constitutes a grave breach of international law.”
IPSO dismissed Levick’s complaint, claiming that the headline referred only to detainees held without trial, rather than those serving life sentences, and argued that it was not “significantly inaccurate” to label them as hostages.
Archive photo: Palestinian detained by Israeli forces in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah (Credit: Montecruz Foto/CC)
