The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate has condemned the arrest of a prominent local journalist by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

Ali al-Samoudi, who has worked extensively with Western media, was detained during a raid on his son’s home in the northern city of Jenin early on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old was interrogated for half an hour at an unknown location and was later transferred to an Israeli hospital due to a deterioration in his health, his son Mohammed said.

The Israeli military said Samoudi was “identified with the [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation” and “suspected in the transfer of funds” to it, without giving any evidence.