Reporting from the Frontlines of a Genocide

Being a Palestinian journalist has never been easy, but Israel鈥檚 escalation of violence against members of the press in Gaza is unprecedented, say press freedom advocates. Can global solidarity help stop the bloodshed?

Gaza is the deadliest place on Earth to be a journalist today. More than 100 in Israeli airstrikes on their homes or vehicles or in attacks by invading Israeli forces since early October 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalists鈥� Syndicate. The attacks are part of , in southern Palestine on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Neither Palestine nor the governorates that comprise the Gaza Strip鈥攚hich is only about the size of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania鈥攈ave a land army, air force, or navy to fight a war. Experts have described the and accused Israel of . In early January, the International Court of Justice in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of .

According to the 2023 annual report of the , Israel killed in Gaza between Oct. 7 and Dec. 31, 2023. PJS鈥檚 report also documented more than a thousand violations against journalists across Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and the 1948 occupied territories. in southern Lebanon on Oct. 13, 2023.

There were about when Israel launched its assault on the territory last October. Israel controls movement into Gaza and has barred foreign reporters from entering. A limited number of international journalists have been embedded with the Israeli military since it launched its offensive, but they are forbidden from contacting Palestinians, and Israel requires or broadcast. While international media organizations have challenged the ban, . 鈥淭he news has to be reported by Palestinian journalists. Otherwise, no one will know what鈥檚 going on,鈥� says Rania Khayyat, communications officer at PJS. 鈥淚t is a very heavy duty.鈥�

With over 100 journalists in Gaza now killed, the mortality rate for journalists in the territory in the Vietnam War, the Korean War, or World War II.

Organizations such as , , and have specifically called for investigations into the killings of journalists. 鈥淛ournalists are civilians and must be treated as such under international humanitarian law,鈥� said Sherif Mansour, the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at CPJ, . He added that Israel鈥檚 assault on Gaza is 鈥渢he most dangerous situation for journalists we [at CPJ] have ever seen.鈥�

Palestinian journalists say the support they have received from organizations such as CPJ and the has been a boon during the most horrific period of violence and suppression in living memory. 鈥淚f there is a bright side, the bright side is being surrounded by good people who believe in us,鈥� says Khayyat.

Material support from various organizations and initiatives has helped Palestinian journalists continue their work in near impossible conditions over the last several months. For example, when damaged communications infrastructure in Gaza began to fail last October, Egyptian journalist Mirna El Helbawi launched . The initiative offers virtual SIM cards to help Palestinians stay connected . Initially, the effort prioritized journalists and media workers and then pivoted to a broader group, providing . Disabled writers and activists in the United States launched a similar initiative called in December.

The IFJ has worked closely with PJS, raising money through the , which the PJS has used to , including batteries, clothes, food, first-aid kits, and blast trauma packs.

The supplies have had a real-world impact. 鈥淚t was humbling to learn 鈥� that Gazan photographer Mohammad Baalousha saved his own life with a blast trauma pack that the IFJ helped supply, after snipers shot him twice in the legs,鈥� said Tim Dawson, IFJ鈥檚 deputy general secretary, . Baalousha that he was shot by an Israeli sniper on Dec. 16, 2023, less than three weeks after he broke the story that at least and their bodies left to decompose in an intensive care unit at al-Nasr Children鈥檚 Hospital when Israeli troops forced hospital staff to evacuate.

Although critical support has reached Palestinian journalists, Khayyat emphasizes there is still significant work to be done to ensure media workers in the country can do their jobs without fear of reprisal. For those in Gaza, the path toward this future will be even more difficult as Israel鈥檚 assault has left and killed more than 22,000. Like so many Gazans, dozens of media workers have lost their homes . , , and 鈥溾€漝amaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks.

Injured reporters, including Baalousha, cannot access needed health care because Israeli attacks have . posted on Dec. 31, 2023, showed that Baalousha was trapped in a location he crawled to after being shot. With no ambulance able to reach him, he was forced to treat his own injury using makeshift supplies.

While Palestinians face this latest Israeli onslaught, people of all faiths worldwide have come together to show solidarity for Palestine and call for an end to the aggression. Demonstrations in have drawn tens of thousands of supporters. have also been held over the last few months. Khayyat says these demonstrations of solidarity and mourning have helped spread the message that journalism is under attack in Palestine and the targeting of journalists must be condemned and investigated. 鈥淲e are impressed seeing the demonstrations in big cities all over the world,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his is very important, and we need it to continue.鈥�

When raising awareness of the plight of Palestinian journalists, Khayyat says it is important to situate it within what the CPJ has called a 鈥�.鈥� 鈥淏eing a Palestinian journalist has always been hard,鈥� says Khayyat. Over the last five years, Khayyat says the PJS has recorded an average of 800 violations per year against journalists in Palestine. Last year, . Violations include , , , , , . Recent attacks on journalists are a dramatic escalation of the ongoing repression of media workers in Palestine.

Ahmad Al-Bazz, a West Bank鈥揵ased journalist, says that while nothing compares to the situation in Gaza, have also been increasing over the last few months. In December, Al-Bazz was prevented from covering a multiday Israeli military operation in Jenin in which . Al-Bazz recalls how he and his colleagues waited for access to cover it. 鈥淥nce the army left after 55 hours, that is when the journalism started. But my job is not only to go and document what happened later but also to capture what is happening while the army is there.鈥�

Moving through the Israeli has also become more difficult and dangerous. While Al-Bazz has an Israeli military鈥搃ssued permit allowing him to move across the West Bank and the West Bank barrier, he says it has been of little help lately. The same is true of his press credentials. 鈥淚f you have a press sign on your car or try to show your press card, it does not give you any privileges. Only Israelis can move.鈥�

For years, Palestinian journalists have been calling for global attention to the dangers they face. In April 2022, PJS and its partner organizations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging that Israel鈥檚 systematic targeting of journalists in Palestine and its failure to investigate killings of media workers amounted to war crimes. Khayyat says the ICC responded that December, stating it would launch an inquiry. But there have been no updates since. 鈥淪uddenly, it was like a big silence,鈥� says Khayyat. 鈥淏ecause of this silence, because no one has held them accountable, now 鈥� more journalists have been killed by Israeli forces.鈥�

Since Israel launched its current assault on Gaza, alleging that journalists killed in Palestine 鈥�.鈥� PJS has written a brief in a case brought by Palestinians against President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin .

IFJ鈥檚 Dawson,, wrote that 鈥淭he fate of Gaza鈥檚 journalists is a humanitarian catastrophe鈥� and emphasized the power of international pressure, such as that provided by demonstrations, to encourage the ICC to broaden its inquiries into crimes against journalists in Palestine. Journalists outside Palestine can also play a role in pushing these investigations forward through coverage of them.

Khayyat says journalists everywhere have a professional responsibility to condemn attacks on their Palestinian colleagues and demand that their rights are protected. While some media organizations have , and those organizing with have recognized solidarity as imperative. The former has supported fundraising efforts via the , and both organizations are leading for speaking out about Palestine elsewhere.

鈥淚t should be uncontroversial for organizations representing media workers to ,鈥� said Olivia Schwob, co-chair of the NWU鈥檚 , when in December to call for an end to hostilities against Palestine. She added, 鈥淭he journalists in Gaza, who are continuing to report on this slaughter [and] bring the truth to the rest of the world 鈥� they are really redefining integrity and solidarity. We need to support them.鈥�

CORRECTION: This article was amended at 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2024, to clarify that the National Writers Union, not Writers Against the War on Gaza, is organizing with the IFJ Safety Fund. Read our corrections policy here.