Bethlehem/PNN /
In a report released by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, October of last year marked the darkest month in the history of global journalism. The report shed light on the significant loss of lives among journalists, victims of the Israeli occupation's merciless onslaught against the Palestinian press.
According to the Journalists' Freedom Committee, a part of the syndicate, October witnessed the martyrdom of 40 of our colleagues who worked in various journalistic institutions. This tragic number includes 30 journalists and 10 administrative and technical staff employed in the media sector. Additionally, an unspecified number of social media activists faced the Israeli occupation's deadly campaign, involving killings, arrests, shelling, and persecution.
The report also revealed that since the beginning of the aggression in Gaza on October 7, the Israeli occupation has arrested 20 colleagues.
In Gaza, the Israeli occupation targeted about 62 media institutions, causing complete or partial destruction. In the West Bank, some media institutions faced closure and confiscation.
Furthermore, the report highlighted the occupation's destruction of over 70 homes of journalists and their families, deliberate targeting that resulted in the martyrdom of nearly 200 family members of journalists.
In the West Bank, the occupation continued its crimes and violations, surpassing 112 incidents, including but not limited to 37 cases of preventing coverage and detaining crews, 21 cases of targeting with tear gas canisters, 17 cases of physical assault, and 15 cases of confiscating journalists' personal and professional equipment. The occupation engaged in 13 cases of verbal and written incitement from various Israeli sources, 8 direct threats of opening fire, 4 instances of closing media institutions, and two colleagues were injured by live ammunition from the occupation forces, among various other violations.
Mohammad Al laham the head of the Journalists' Freedom Committee, emphasized that the actual number of victims of occupation's crimes and violations could be even higher, given the difficulties journalists face in their work, particularly in Gaza due to the relentless rocket and artillery attacks, limiting mobility and close monitoring.
He added that the committee publishes verified facts and follows up on them, despite the challenging circumstances. Further investigation and updates are conducted as more information becomes available.
Additionally, Al Laham pointed to reports from international organizations dedicated to monitoring violations worldwide, citing that they had never witnessed 44 journalists worldwide martyred within a single month. Historically, these organizations have recorded an average of 50 journalist fatalities annually. However, between 2021 and 2022, this number spiked to 86 victims, as per these international bodies. This alarming increase underscores that Palestinian journalists lost more than half of the global journalist victims in October alone. Consequently, October stands as the worst month in the history of crimes against journalists globally.
