RAMALLAH / PNN /
Israeli forces have killed 33 Palestinian journalists in the first half of 2025, according to a mid-year report by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, which also recorded 739 violations against journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the same period.
At a press conference in Ramallah on Sunday, Mohammad Al-Laham, head of the syndicate’s Freedoms Committee, said the report sheds light on the dangers facing journalists amid ongoing massacres against Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, alongside a sharp escalation in Israel’s attacks on the press.
Al-Laham stated that the first six months of the year saw an unprecedented surge in targeted assaults on journalists. He revealed that 41 family members of journalists have also been killed, while 32 journalists' homes have been demolished. Additionally, 66 journalists have been injured, mostly from shrapnel and live bullets.
He described the attacks as increasingly brutal compared to last year, noting that journalists are now being targeted even in shelters, tents, and hospitals — indicating what he called a politically-driven, systematic policy to silence the press.
The report also documented the arrest of 25 journalists and a sharp rise in direct gunfire incidents against them. Al-Laham pointed out that while tear gas injuries have declined, the use of live ammunition has increased, reflecting a clear intent to inflict severe harm. Furthermore, 228 cases of journalists being obstructed, detained, or banned from reporting were recorded, signalling a broader strategy to suppress information.
“Freedom is indivisible,” Al-Laham stressed, adding that while journalists in Gaza face lethal attacks, their colleagues in the West Bank endure the violence of settlers and occupation forces. He cited the brutal beating of journalist Issam Rimawi by Israeli settlers as a recent example.
Al-Laham praised the role of the Palestinian Bar Association in legally documenting these crimes and collaborating with the Palestinian Writers’ Union to hold Israel accountable.
Nasser Abu Bakr, head of the Journalists Syndicate, reiterated that the Freedoms Committee regularly publishes monthly, semi-annual, and annual reports to document violations against journalists in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza.
He affirmed the syndicate’s commitment to defending press freedom and supporting journalists, particularly in Gaza. Abu Bakr noted that the syndicate had issued an urgent appeal on behalf of Gaza’s journalists and the wider population, who are enduring famine and genocide while continuing their work under bombardment and amid severe shortages of basic necessities.
Abu Bakr urged the international community to act swiftly to save over two million people in Gaza, including journalists, who are suffering slow death from bombing and starvation.
He called for the broadest possible media coverage of the genocide and blockade in Gaza, where more than two million Palestinians remain besieged and on the brink of famine. “This tragedy is unprecedented in modern history,” he said.
He added that the Freedoms Committee’s reports serve as a critical resource for the International Federation of Journalists and global media organisations, and are submitted to relevant UN bodies to expose Israel’s crimes and push for accountability through international justice mechanisms.
