Palestine: record number of Palestinian journalists arbitrarily arrested by Israel

Seventy-five Palestinian journalists and media workers have been arrested by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank and Gaza since the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. To date, 49 of among them are still in prison, including 20 who have been subjected to administrative detention, according to the Palestinian Journalists Union (PJS). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed by the record number of journalists arbitrarily arrested as part of Israel's broader campaign to intimidate and dissuade them from covering the military occupation. The IFJ calls on Israel to end the persecution of Palestinian journalists and release them all immediately and unconditionally.

On March 19, 2024, Israeli security forces stopped Palestinian journalist Rula Hassanein confiscated her laptop and phone during a raid on her home in Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank. Hassanein, well known for her reporting on the Israeli occupation and human rights violations, had to leave her nine-month-old baby with her husband.

Hassanein's story is just one of 75 journalists arrested by Israel since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli security forces intensified their practice of detaining Palestinian journalists without charge after October 7.

“The goal behind Israel's detentions and intensified campaign […] is to dissuade journalists and prevent them from carrying the voice of the Palestinians. The Israelis are adamant that they will control the story coming from the West Bank. »said Deputy head of the PJS, Omar Nazzal, in an interview with Al Jazeera.

“Another goal is to intimidate other journalists by creating the image that anyone who tries to speak out will be their next target. » »concludes Nazzal.

Currently, the PJS registers 20 Palestinian journalists subject to administrative detention, one procedure which allows the Israeli army to detain prisoners indefinitely on the basis of secret information and without charging them or allowing them to stand trial. Israel uses administrative detention in an intensive and systematic manner; and it has intensified its use to suppress dissenting voices, including journalists, since the start of the Gaza war. declared by organizations defending press freedom.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “Israel's excessive campaign to harass and prosecute Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank is unacceptable and clearly an attempt to silence media on the ground. We condemn the increased persecution of journalists by Israeli security forces and urge them to stop hindering the work of journalists. We will redouble our efforts in coordination with our affiliate, the Palestinian Journalists Union, to ensure that violence against journalists does not go unpunished.”

To date, at least 102 Palestinian journalists and media professionals Was killed since the start of the war in Gaza, according to IFJ data.