Israel extends detention of Palestinian women's footballer Rand Halawani

Israeli authorities extended until Friday the detention of Palestinian women's national team footballer Rand Halawani after she was summoned for questioning at a Jerusalem police station earlier this week, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. The Jerusalem Governorate said Halawani was detained Tuesday at the Talpiot police station in West Jerusalem before being brought before a court, which ordered her held without specifying the reasons for her summons.

Second arrest

The Palestinian Football Association said former women's national team player Natalie Abu Diya, a student at Birzeit University, was also arrested Tuesday after Israeli forces raided her residence. The PFA noted that the arrests came amid continued Israeli restrictions on Palestinian athletes, citing the recent travel ban imposed on footballer Musab Abu Salem — Israeli authorities stopped him at the Allenby Bridge crossing and prevented him from traveling to Italy with the Palestine Stars team for a solidarity match against Napoli Stars.

West Bank violence

The occupied West Bank has witnessed escalating Israeli military raids, arrests and settlement expansion since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. At least 1,168 Palestinians have since been killed, 12,666 injured, 23,000 arrested and 33,000 displaced in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian government media office.