On Sunday, Israeli police raided two Palestinian bookstores in occupied East Jerusalem, confiscating books and arresting one of the owners along with his nephew, according to their family members.

CCTV footage released by the owners—four brothers from the Muna family—shows officers placing books into trash bags at one of the branches of the Educational Bookshop, a well-respected institution with both Arabic- and English-language sections.

“They threw some books on the floor, but the Arabic-language store suffered the most material damage,” said store owner Iyad Muna. Photos he shared depict books, notebooks, and writing materials scattered across the ground.

On Monday, Israeli police stated that two individuals had been arrested on suspicion of "selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism." "The suspects were taken into custody by police detectives," a spokesperson confirmed.

An Israeli court extended the detention of Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna by 24 hours, followed by five days of house arrest. Their family later confirmed their release under house arrest. Initially, police had requested an eight-day extension for their detention.

The men's lawyer, Nasser Odeh, that he was "surprised" by the police's request for a longer detention. He argued that the search order lacked solid legal grounds, stating that the confiscated books primarily covered Palestinian history, human rights, and the struggles faced by Palestinians. "These books pose no threat or danger and do not support the allegations against them," Odeh said.

Representatives from the European Union, several EU member states, the United Kingdom, and Brazil attended the court hearing, according to a journalist present.

Israeli police reported finding "numerous books containing inciteful material with nationalist Palestinian themes" in the bookstores, including a children's coloring book titled From the River to the Sea. The phrase is politically charged, with some Palestinians using it to express aspirations for a homeland between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, while many Jews see it as a call for Israel’s destruction.

Founded in 1984 on Salah el-Din Street, the Educational Bookshop has grown into a significant cultural institution in East Jerusalem. The original branch specializes in Arabic books, while an English-language store was later established, attracting Palestinians, Israelis, and international visitors. A third location inside the American Colony Hotel is popular with diplomats, journalists, and foreign dignitaries.

The bookshop was founded by Ahmad Muna, a Jerusalemite who previously taught at the Shu’fat refugee camp. His son Mahmoud, now managing the store, was among those arrested. The shop offers books on Palestinian history, the Arab-Israeli conflict, contemporary Palestinian literature, art, historical maps, and cookbooks.

The peace advocacy group The Time Has Come condemned the raid, calling the bookstore and its owners "an important part of the shared future we envision for Jerusalem." They stated that the arrests and confiscations "not only violate freedom of expression and information but also threaten the city’s future."

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Territories, expressed shock over the raid, describing the bookstores as "an intellectual lighthouse and a family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid." She urged the international community in Jerusalem to "stand with the Muna family and protect this vital cultural hub."

This article has been updated with additional developments.

(Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly identified the group The Time Has Come as Ad Kan. The two are separate entities, and the comments in this article belong to The Time Has Come.)