GAZA, (PIC)
The World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3 every year, was a suitable occasion for condemning the systematic aggression of the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle.
The Palestinian Journalists Forum said in a statement, “The Israeli occupation army is the foremost enemy of press freedom on its international day.”
It added, “World Press Freedom Day coincides with the massacre committed and still being committed by the Israeli occupation army against journalists and media outlets in the Palestinian territories since October 7, 2023, recording the highest indicators of press freedom violations, with the cold-blooded killing of 141 journalists. The occupation attempts, through these heinous terrorist acts against journalists in the Gaza Strip, to deter them from carrying out their professional duties and their national role in exposing the crimes of targeting innocent civilians.”
The World Press Freedom Day falls as dozens of journalists lie in hospital beds due to injuries sustained from Israeli occupation forces’ shells and rockets, which have resulted in amputations for some of them. Additionally, dozens of journalists have been detained as part of the deliberate and systematic Israeli targeting of journalists.
Targeting the homes and families of journalists
Over the past seven months, Israeli targeting has reached the families and homes of dozens of journalists, leading to the martyrdom and injury of many of their relatives. Moreover, more than 100 media institutions, including the headquarters of the Palestinian Journalists Forum, have been destroyed or damaged. Israeli forces have also interfered with local radio and television broadcasts as part of their psychological warfare against the Palestinian community. They have targeted the communication infrastructure, disrupting it multiple times, thus limiting the ability of media outlets and journalists to work and report on events and developments in the Gaza Strip.
A call for review
The Palestinian Journalists Forum emphasized that World Press Freedom Day is an occasion that requires a review of the performance of international organizations concerned with the protection of journalists, especially the International Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders. These organizations have failed to hold the Israeli occupation army accountable and prevent it from its blatant aggression against Palestinian journalists. Therefore, the Israeli occupation deserves to be rightfully labeled as the primary enemy of press freedom.
Hamas: Protection is needed
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, confirmed that the continued Israeli occupation army’s aggressive war against journalists, media professionals, and Palestinian media outlets through direct and deliberate targeting, including killing, arresting, pursuing, and restricting them, constitutes heinous crimes and a flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions. Since the beginning of its aggression and genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, 146 journalists and media professionals have been martyred, while hundreds remain in its prisons and detention centers, subjected to the worst forms of oppression and torture.
In a press statement on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, Hamas said, “Palestinian journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip have proven over more than six months, in the ongoing battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood, that they are the resounding voice of our Palestinian people defending their rights and national constants, aspiring for freedom, independence, and liberation from occupation. Each of them has become a mountain of patience, sacrifice, and dedication in conveying the true voice and image of our people’s steadfastness and determination on their land, as well as in exposing the crimes of the Zionist enemy and its genocidal war against innocent civilians.”
Hamas further explained that “the struggle of our people in the Al-Aqsa Flood battle has revealed to the world the extent of terror and fear of the Nazi-like occupation and its fascist government regarding the impact of media in all its forms on the Arab, Islamic, and global public opinion, and its role in exposing its criminal war machine. At the same time, the occupation’s miserable failure in preventing or concealing the Palestinian narrative, whether Arab, Islamic, or international, has been proven.”
Hamas paid tribute to “the souls of the martyrs of the word and image, the heroes of Palestine who sacrificed their lives in order to convey the true image of our people’s suffering and expose the crimes of the occupation in the ongoing battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood.”
It extended greetings to all Palestinian journalists and media professionals, both inside and outside Palestine, who stand with pride at the forefront of Palestinian people’s resilience and struggle, appreciating their achievements and professional dedication in upholding national rights and constants.
Hamas called on journalists and media professionals in Palestine to demonstrate more perseverance, creativity, and excellence in carrying out their mission, “believing in the justice of our cause and honoring the blood of the martyrs, the sacrifices of the prisoners, and the steadfastness and resistance of our people in Gaza and all areas of the homeland.”
The Hamas Movement expressed its appreciation and gratitude to all journalists, media professionals, and media institutions in the Arab and Islamic world and around the globe who convey the truth about the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and work to convey the Palestinian narrative in all its details, exposing the occupation’s crimes against the Palestinian land, people, prisoners, and sanctities.
Hamas called on journalists to continue their media mission and enhance the presence of Palestine and its just cause in their programs, giving it the utmost attention commensurate with the magnitude of the tragedy faced by the Palestinian people.
It urged all human rights institutions to criminalize the violations and crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian journalists, to pressure it to stop these actions, and to pursue legal measures to hold it accountable in international courts. They called for global action to condemn, expose, and criminalize the Israeli violations and to protect Palestinian journalists and media professionals from the Israeli aggression and terrorism.
