Ramallah / PNN /

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns the increasing violation against media freedoms by the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Palestinian territories, as the occupation snipers targeted journalists and media crews with live bullets to prevent them from covering the widespread aggression in the City of Jenin and its Camp yesterday, Monday, which resulted in four martyrs and more than 43 injuries among citizens, some of which are critical injuries.

According to the reporter of “Roya” TC, HAFEZ SABRA, he stated to MADA, the journalists and media crews were present since 6:00AM today, Monday, in different locations in the Camp to cover the incursion of the occupation forces therein. At about 09:00AM, the crew of "Roya" TV was targeted by the occupation snipers, 200 meters away from the occupation soldiers, which led to the bullet being lodged in the door of the TV’s vehicle, as the reporter "SABRA" and his colleague, the cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI, were sheltering in the vehicle.

Al-Ghad TV cameraman, HAZEM IMAD NASSER, was also injured, at around 12:30PM, by another bullet in the waist fired by a sniper at him. According to eyewitnesses, the journalist reached the ambulance with great difficulty while he was in a moderate to serious condition, and was immediately admitted to the operating room.

The attacks of the occupation army and its snipers targeted all the media crews who were present in the place, who were targeted to prevent them from covering the incidents. Among them were the crew of "Al-Araby TV", the cameraman of "Wafa" Agency, and the crew of "Reuters".

This attack against journalists and media freedoms comes about two weeks after the occupation forces committed a serious crime against media freedoms in the City of Ramallah, as part of a continuous series of crimes that resulted in the injury of journalist MOMEN SUMRAIN with a rubber bullet in the head, and he is still receiving treatment in the hospital.

“MADA” holds the international community fully responsible for the lives of Palestinian journalists in the field, and expresses its deep concern about the continuation of the occupation’s crimes and the escalation of its violations against journalists and media freedoms, which would not have continued without the immunity it has enjoyed for decades, and demands that it be stopped and those responsible for it be held accountable, and renews its demand to human rights organizations to exert pressure on the Government of Israel to stop its attacks on journalists and enable them to carry out their professional duties freely.