Britain09 August, 20263 min read
Israeli Forces And Settlers Conduct 108 Attacks On Palestinian Journalists In July
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108 attacks on Palestinian journalists documented in July by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate Attacks included arrests, beatings, detentions, interrogations, obstruction of coverage, and equipment seizures/destruction
108 attacks logged in July
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee documented 108 attacks against Palestinian journalists and media workers by ‘Israeli’ occupation forces in July, according to a report carried by Wafa and summarized by Roya News. Roya News said the violations included arrests, beatings and detentions, as well as preventing journalists from covering events, while detention and obstruction of journalistic work accounted for the largest share with 58 cases recorded during the month.
The same Roya News account said the syndicate also documented 12 cases involving exposure to sound and gas bombs, 11 attacks by settlers and six cases in which journalists were beaten. Al Jazeera later described the syndicate’s tally as 108 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian journalists and media workers in the occupied West Bank, with the Freedoms Committee saying the pattern made it increasingly difficult for journalists to document Israeli military raids and settler violence on the ground.
Detentions and gas exposure
Al Jazeera said the most common violations were “brief detentions and restrictions on reporting,” with 58 cases recorded, and it added that the committee documented 11 settler attacks on journalists, including physical assaults, shoving and threats, mostly while crews covered settler attacks and military raids elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. The outlet also reported that the committee documented 12 cases in which Israeli forces fired stun grenades or tear gas at journalists, causing some to suffocate, and it said six journalists were beaten and four sustained bleeding injuries while covering developments in Gaza, including from shrapnel.
WAFA’s account, carried by WAFA Agency, similarly said the committee documented 12 cases in which Israeli occupation forces targeted journalists with stun grenades and tear gas, causing some to suffer suffocation while covering raids, attacks, and events on the ground. WAFA Agency further stated that the committee documented six cases of beatings and four cases in which journalists sustained injuries resulting in bleeding while carrying out their professional duties and covering developments in the Gaza Strip, including injuries caused by shrapnel from missiles and artillery shells.
Calls for protection and accountability
Beyond detentions and physical assaults, Al Jazeera said the committee recorded four raids on journalists’ homes or media offices, including the closure of one outlet, three cases of equipment being confiscated or destroyed, two instances of deleted footage, and two expulsions of journalists from the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Al Jazeera reported that the syndicate called for journalists to be allowed to work “free from threats, attacks and pursuit”, and it demanded accountability for those responsible.
WAFA Agency said the Freedoms Committee documented four cases involving raids on homes and media institutions, including searches, tampering with contents, and interrogation of journalists, and it added that it also documented two cases involving the expulsion of journalists from Al-Aqsa Mosque following decisions banning them from entering the mosque’s courtyards for specified periods. In the same WAFA Agency account, the syndicate called for ensuring the protection of journalists and enabling them to carry out their work free from threats, attacks, and pursuit, while upholding freedom of journalistic work and the public’s right to access information.