WAN-IFRA Honors AFP, AP, and Reuters Gaza Journalists With 2026 Golden Pen in Marseille

The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) said the 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom will be handed to representatives of Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters for “whose local journalists continue to provide consistent, professional coverage under extremely challenging conditions”.

“Palestinian men carry an injured man at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip”

Ahram Online

The award is tied to the 77th World Conference of News Media, which WAN-IFRA says runs from Monday to Wednesday, with the ceremony in Marseille, France.

Ahram Online

WAN-IFRA’s citation says that “For over two and a half years, journalists in Gaza have recorded death, destruction, and human suffering in unparalleled terms,” framing Gaza-based reporters as both chroniclers and victims of the conflict.

AFP photographer Mohammed Abed, who worked in Gaza until April 2024 before joining its Cairo bureau, is listed among those who will be at the ceremony in Marseille.

The Peninsula Qatar reported that Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani met Singapore’s Minister for Defence and Coordinating Minister for Public Service HE Chan Chun Sing on the sidelines of the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where both sides reviewed “the latest security developments” and discussed “military cooperation and joint coordination” in light of current circumstances.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says Israeli forces have killed more than 220 journalists, at least 70 of whom were killed in the context of their professional duties, as WAN-IFRA’s award announcement highlights the risks faced by local media workers.

France 24 reported that “The Israeli army says it never deliberately targets journalists,” while also noting that since October 2023 it has claimed to have killed people it described as Palestinian militant “terrorists” working under the guise of being media professionals.

Al-Jazeera Net

Ahram Online said Israel has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the blockaded territory since the war began, while also describing an October 2025 ceasefire that did not end attacks.

Euronews added that only a few dozen journalists have been allowed to visit the territory from time to time, provided they are accompanied by the Israeli army exclusively.

In Gaza, the award coverage is set against a wider death toll cited by Ahram Online, which said Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 72,819 and wounded 172,894 others since October 2023, while forcibly displacing 90 percent of the population.

WAN-IFRA said the Golden Pen of Freedom also recognizes colleagues injured and killed in the course of doing their job, and it will be received by representatives of the three main international news agencies operating in Gaza: Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.

“Subscribe & Follow Advertise your job vacancies AP, Reuters and AFP to accept Wan-Ifra honour for Gaza coverage The World Association of News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) has announced that its 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom award will honour the photographers and videographers documenting life and war in Gaza — recognising journalists who have continued reporting under some of the most dangerous conditions in the world”

Bizcommunity

Ahram Online said the award citation describes journalists in Gaza as “as much victims of the conflict as they are chroniclers of a war that erupted -- and continues -- around them,” tying the prize to the ongoing nature of the war.

The same Ahram Online report stated that despite an October ceasefire, Israel has continued near-daily attacks, killing at least 877 and injuring over 2,602 while refusing to lift its blockade or withdraw forces occupying up to 60 percent of the strip.

Euronews reported that Gaza Health Ministry data, which the United Nations considers reliable, indicates more than 72,800 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army since the start of the war, including more than 900 killed after the ceasefire announced in October 2025.

In parallel, Blast reported the case of Yanis Mhamdi, arrested on June 8 by Israeli forces in international waters off Gaza and still in prison, and it said RSF and Blast appeal for his release is supported by more than 300 journalists and media outlets.