US-Palestinian Student Sama Safi Held Without Charge in Israeli Prison for Five Weeks

Palestinian American college student Sama Safi has reportedly spent more than five weeks in Israeli military detention without being charged with any crimes.

The student of psychology at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank was arrested as soldiers forced their way into her family home in Ramallah in the early morning hours of June 2, Democracy Now reports. Safi’s family lives in Florida, according to Drop Site on X.

The young woman informed the soldiers of her status as a U.S. citizen, but they ignored her claims, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a video posted on his Twitter account. Van Hollen said he communicated with Safi’s mother.

According to an Israeli military spokesperson quoted by The Guardian via the Jerusalem Post, Safi, together with three other female students of Birzeit University, was detained for the promotion of hostile terrorist activity and other similar offenses.

Safi denies involvement in the organization she was accused of collaborating with, her Israeli human rights lawyer, Lea Tsemel, tells Newsweek.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, quoted by Drop Site, Safi was initially transferred to Ofer Prison and later to an interrogation center in Jerusalem. Tsemel stated that Safi is currently detained at Ofer as a security detainee, Truthout reported.

Safi’s family stated that the young woman suffers from a chronic autoinflammatory disease and takes medicines every day and undergoes treatment in other countries from time to time, Newsweek and Truthout noted. Tsemel stated that Safi has been able to obtain her medication while detained, but may miss her appointment in Italy due to her arrest.

Members of the U.S. Congress showed interest in Safi’s case. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., called Safi’s case a “five-alarm fire” in his tweet dated June 6, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Derek Tran of California, both Democrats, asked for Safi’s release. Tran said that the incident demonstrates the pattern of denial of Palestinians’ due process in Israel, Press TV and Newsweek reported.

According to the State Department, it takes its responsibility to assist Americans abroad very seriously and is monitoring the situation, but it does not provide further details due to privacy concerns, Newsweek noted.

Neither the Israeli military nor the Israel Prison Service responded to numerous requests for comment, Truthout reported.

In connection with Safi’s case, there has been growing scrutiny of the use of administrative detention in the occupied West Bank.

By June 2026, Israel was detaining more than 3,300 Palestinians in administrative detention without charge or trial, as part of about 9,000 Palestinians detained as security prisoners, according to HaMoked, cited by Truthout.