Zionists’ campaign to suppress journalists

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate recently revealed alarming findings regarding the state of press freedom in Palestine, documenting widespread violations committed by the Zionist occupiers in the first three months of 2025.

The report highlights a brutal and systematic Zionist campaign against Palestinian journalists, characterized by deadly attacks, detentions, and destruction of property.

According to published data, 15 journalists were martyred in the Gaza Strip due to direct attacks by Zionist forces in the first three months of 2025—7 in January and 8 in February and March.

In addition to targeting media personnel, 17 family members and relatives of journalists were also martyred. Furthermore, the homes of 12 journalists were destroyed in missile and artillery attacks, and 11 journalists were severely injured.

Reports indicate that the targeting of journalists was not limited to physical attacks. The report documented 49 cases in which journalists were targeted with live gunfire, typically under the pretext of issuing warnings or clearing journalists from specific areas. This underscores the deliberate nature of the occupiers’ strategy to silence the media.

The wave of detentions continued in the first quarter of 2025, with 15 journalists arrested either during raids on their homes or while reporting in the field. While some remain imprisoned, others were released after hours or days of detention. These arrests are part of a broader campaign to suppress media coverage of ongoing events in occupied Palestine.

The report points to additional forms of suppression faced by Palestinian journalists, including systematic obstruction and targeted harassment. Approximately 117 journalists endured various measures designed to prevent them from performing their duties, particularly in occupied Jerusalem and Jenin. These measures included arbitrary detention, intimidation, and physical assaults.

Several journalists in occupied Jerusalem and Jenin faced violent attacks, including being struck with rifles and kicked. The destruction and confiscation of equipment was also widespread, with 16 cases recorded. Additionally, 31 journalists suffered respiratory injuries after exposure to toxic tear gas, with some requiring medical treatment.

Legal harassment and administrative restrictions also increased in the first three months of 2025. Approximately 13 journalists in occupied Jerusalem were summoned for interrogation and subsequently banned from reporting near Al-Aqsa Mosque.

According to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, these actions are part of a broader effort by the occupiers to control narratives and suppress Palestinian media.

In total, the Syndicate recorded over 340 violations, including verbal insults, threats, incitement, deletion of recorded footage from journalists’ cameras, legal prosecution, and financial penalties. Given the scale and severity of these violations, the Syndicate has urged field teams to exercise utmost vigilance and adhere to strict safety protocols.

The Syndicate concluded by reaffirming its commitment to documenting these crimes and presenting them to international institutions. It emphasized the importance of exposing the occupiers’ actions and pursuing accountability to end the aggression against Palestinian journalists and press freedom.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Zionist regime detained another journalist in the city of Jenin in the West Bank as part of its ongoing media suppression campaign.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society announced that with this latest detention, the total number of journalists currently held in Zionist regime prisons has reached 49. Since the onset of the Gaza war, Zionist forces have detained at least 177 journalists.