A CNN news channel team reporting from the Palestinian village of Tayasir in the West Bank territory was detained by Israeli soldiers when covering the aftermath of a violent attack by Israeli settler-occupiers.
According to CNN’s footage and reporting, the journalists clearly identified themselves, but soldiers approached them, pointed weapons, and ordered them to sit down despite posing no apparent threat.
CNN’s account: Detention, chokehold, damage
During the confrontation, a soldier placed CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold from behind, forced him to the ground, and damaged his camera equipment, a video shared by his colleague showed.
CNN reported that another soldier demanded the journalist stop filming while a device being used by the team was also struck during the incident.
{{/usCountry}}CNN reported that another soldier demanded the journalist stop filming while a device being used by the team was also struck during the incident.
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The Foreign Press Association (FPA) described the episode as a “violent assault on clearly identified journalists” and said it constituted a direct attack on press freedom, reported news agency AFP.
Timeline: From settler violence to military action
The sequence of events began when Israeli settlers allegedly entered Tayasir and established an outpost on land considered illegal even under Israeli law.
Residents said settlers carried out violent attacks in the area, including assaults on civilians, which prompted media coverage and drew journalists to the site.
On Thursday, the CNN team arrived in the village to report on these developments and the broader tensions between settlers and Palestinians.
During their reporting, Israeli soldiers detained the crew, leading to the on-camera confrontation and assault on the photojournalist.
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The incident quickly gained international attention after CNN aired its report, triggering scrutiny within Israel’s security establishment. Within about 48 hours of the report being broadcast, the Israeli military moved to suspend the battalion involved in the incident. Separately, the military confirmed that the assault would be investigated by its military police.
IDF response: Suspension and internal criticism
“The operational deployment currently being carried out by the reserve battalion will be suspended,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The unit will instead undergo training aimed at reinforcing its “professional and ethical foundations” before returning to active duty.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir described the incident as a “serious ethical and professional failure".
“Weapons are to be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the mission, and never for revenge,” Zamir said, emphasising that such behaviour would not be accepted within the ranks, the CNN report noted.
The military also indicated that additional disciplinary action could be taken against individual soldiers involved in the assault. An Israeli military spokesperson publicly apologised to CNN prior to the suspension and pledged a swift investigation into the incident.
Wider scrutiny over conduct in the West Bank
The battalion involved is linked to the Netzah Yehuda unit, which has faced scrutiny in recent years over allegations involving conduct in the West Bank.
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The episode comes amid a broader pattern of risks faced by journalists in the West Bank, where reporters have reported being detained, harassed or assaulted, particularly since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, reported AFP.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said Israel has been among the “top jailers of journalists” during this period, with at least 60 Palestinian journalists detained or jailed since the war began.
This is also the second incident involving CNN staff in March, after a producer was reportedly injured in an alleged assault by Israeli police in Jerusalem earlier in the month.
(With AFP inputs)