Israel Detains Widow of Walid Daqqa following Ben-Gvir’s Deportation Call
Sanaa Daqqa was detained by Israeli forces in Jerusalem after far-right minister Ben-Gvir demanded her deportation.
Israeli occupation forces detained on Thursday Sanaa Salama Daqqa, the widow of late Palestinian intellectual Walid Daqqa, while she was with her daughter Milad in the Bab Al-Amud area of occupied Jerusalem.
The arrest came just hours after far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for her deportation. According to Hamas’ Prisoners’ Media Office, Sanaa was detained by police and transferred to an interrogation center.
The Israeli police confirmed the arrest in a statement, claiming she was being investigated for allegedly posting content that “incites against the state and its soldiers.”
Israeli Police Commissioner Danny Levy reportedly ordered the arrest following Ben-Gvir’s directive, and after the Israeli public prosecution agreed earlier this week to open an investigation. Authorities indicated they may seek to extend her detention depending on the outcome of the interrogation.
Sanaa Daqqa, also known as Sanaa Salameh, is a Palestinian activist, journalist, and translator. She is the widow of Walid Daqqa, a Palestinian writer and political prisoner who passed away in Israeli prisons on April 7, 2024, after 38 years of imprisonment.
Sanaa and Walid… https://t.co/o8XWwV1CYF pic.twitter.com/Syr9UY4MHH
— Inés El-Hajj (@InesHajj9) May 29, 2025
Sanaa’s husband, Walid Daqqa—a prominent writer and one of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners—died in April 2024 after 38 years in Israeli prisons. He succumbed to a rare form of cancer in Assaf Harofeh Hospital near Tel Aviv. Daqqa, from Baqa al-Gharbiya in the territories occupied in 1948, was widely seen as a symbol of resistance and resilience.
Israeli news outlet Walla reported that Ben-Gvir contacted Interior Minister Moshe Arbel four times in one day, urgently demanding Sanaa Daqqa’s deportation.
This comes amid a broader escalation by Israeli authorities against Palestinian citizens of Israel. On Wednesday, Israel initiated procedures to revoke the citizenship of four Palestinian prisoners accused of receiving stipends from the Palestinian Authority during their incarceration.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed that the process of deportation is in “advanced stages,” citing a controversial law that permits revoking Israeli citizenship from individuals convicted of receiving funds from the PA in connection with acts against Israeli targets. Katz warned that anyone “who chooses the path of murder and hatred” would be stripped of citizenship and deported.
No names or details were provided regarding the destination of the potential deportees.
This policy stems from an amendment passed by the Israeli Knesset on February 15, 2023, which allows the Interior Minister to petition the Supreme Court to revoke the citizenship or residency of Palestinians from the 1948 territories and occupied East Jerusalem if they are found to have received financial support from the Palestinian Authority.
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The law stipulates that, following completion of a prison sentence, the individual may be deported to PA-controlled areas in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
Israel routinely detains Palestinian citizens of Israel on allegations of carrying out or supporting resistance operations. For decades, the Palestine Liberation Organization has provided financial support to prisoners’ families—support which Tel Aviv claims encourages attacks against Israelis.
Palestinians make up roughly 20% of Israel’s population and face systemic discrimination from state institutions.
Meanwhile, amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, Israeli forces and illegal Jewish settlers have intensified violence across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, killing at least 972 Palestinians, wounding nearly 7,000, and arresting over 17,000, according to Palestinian sources.
(PC, AJA)
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