The semi-annual report on press freedoms, issued Sunday by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, revealed that Israeli forces killed 33 journalists from the beginning of 2025 until the end of June. The report documented a total of 739 violations against journalists in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the same period.
اضافة اعلان
Mohammad Al-Lahham, Head of the Syndicate's Freedoms Committee, emphasized during a press conference in Ramallah that the report sheds light on the deteriorating state of journalism amid ongoing massacres against the Palestinian people in both regions, and the escalating Israeli crimes targeting journalists.
Al-Lahham stated that the first half of 2025 witnessed a major escalation in attacks on journalists, with 41 of their family members killed, 32 homes demolished, and 66 journalists injured, mostly by live ammunition or missile shrapnel.
He stressed that these attacks have become increasingly brutal compared to last year, with assaults occurring even in shelters, tents, and hospitals—clear evidence, he said, that targeting journalists is a deliberate political decision.
The report also recorded the arrest of 25 journalists, an alarming rise in direct gunfire incidents, and a drop in tear gas-related injuries, replaced by more severe wounds from bullets. Furthermore, there were 228 documented cases of journalists being detained or prevented from covering events, reflecting a systematic policy of information suppression.
Al-Lahham affirmed that freedoms are indivisible: “Journalists in Gaza are being killed, while their colleagues in the West Bank face settler terrorism and attacks by occupation forces,” citing the brutal beating of journalist Issam Al-Rimawi by settlers as a recent example.
He commended the Palestinian Bar Association for pursuing legal documentation of Israeli crimes against journalists, and praised its collaboration with the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors.
For his part, Nasser Abu Baker, head of the Journalists Syndicate, noted that the Freedoms Committee regularly issues monthly, semi-annual, and annual reports documenting violations against journalists in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
He stressed that the syndicate remains a guardian of press freedoms and will continue to support journalists, particularly in Gaza. He highlighted the urgent appeal launched by the syndicate on behalf of Gaza’s journalists and people, who continue to face famine and genocide, all while fulfilling their reporting duties amid relentless bombardment and deprivation of basic needs.
Abu Baker called on the international community to act immediately to save more than two million people in Gaza, who are suffering from starvation, thirst, and slow death, including the journalists who persist in their coverage despite genocidal conditions.
He urged the media worldwide to ensure the broadest possible coverage of the genocide and starvation affecting the more than two million besieged Palestinians in Gaza, describing the situation as unprecedented in modern history.
Finally, he noted that the committee’s reports serve as essential references for the International Federation of Journalists and other global media organizations, and are submitted to relevant UN bodies to expose Israel’s crimes, demand accountability, and seek international justice.
