261 Journalists Killed and 52 Detained: Impunity Emboldens Israeli Occupation to Target Gaza Journalists

The Hamaia Center for Human Rights said that journalism in the Gaza Strip is facing one of the bloodiest wars in the history of contemporary media work, noting that it has documented the killing of 261 journalists, the injury of 575 others, and the detention of 52 journalists and media workers since October 7, 2023.

In a press statement issued today, Monday, marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the center explained that more than half of the journalists and media workers whose detention it has documented remain in custody, while the fate of a number of them is still unknown.

It added that its monitoring and documentation has also recorded the killing of 21 activists and influencers across various media outlets, alongside the injuries and detentions suffered by those working in the media sector during the genocidal war on Gaza.

Regarding the targeting of media institutions, the center reported that Israeli occupation forces destroyed the premises of 21 radio institutions, 20 television channels, 35 newspapers and magazines, and 42 digital media institutions, in addition to 23 printing presses and 18 headquarters of professional and rights institutions and unions concerned with press and media freedom.

It noted that the destruction also extended to journalists' work equipment, including outside broadcast vehicles, transmission devices, cameras and vehicles belonging to journalists and media institutions, as well as transmission towers and technical equipment.

The center considered that the targeting of journalists and media institutions falls, in its assessment, within a systematic policy aimed at disrupting newsrooms, destroying archives and documentary material, depriving journalists of a professional working environment, and undermining the ability of media institutions to continue producing news, investigations and field reports.

The center renewed its condemnation of the targeting of journalists and Palestinian media, calling on the international community to provide effective protection for journalists and media workers and to ensure respect for their civilian status under the rules of international humanitarian law.

It also urged the United Nations to open independent and transparent international investigations into the crimes of killing, injuring and detaining Palestinian journalists, to hold those responsible accountable, and to pressure the occupation authorities to allow journalists and international media to enter the Gaza Strip and work freely and independently, ensuring that information is conveyed and verified without restrictions.