RAMALLAH, Thursday, January 4, 2023 (WAFA) – The Official media in Palestine has Thursday condemned the Israeli occupation forces' detention of Wafa Awwad, a photojournalist working for the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) in Tulkarm, following a raid on his house on the outskirts of the Tulkarm camp.

The official media said in a press statement that the detention of Awwad comes within the framework of the Israeli occupation targeting the Palestinian media in general and the official media in particular, with the aim of concealing the truth and terrorizing journalists, especially in light of the comprehensive aggression it is waging against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The statement stressed that the arrests and abuse of journalists will not deter official media cadres from performing their duty towards Palestinian people and their just cause, and exposing the occupation’s practices and crimes.

It pointed out that the official media, which lost a number of its workers to Israeli occupation, while others were injured, will continue its message and national duty, and will remain the channel that conveys the voice of Palestinian people to the whole world, no matter the cost.

The official media, the International Federation of Journalists, called for protection for journalists working in the field, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that Palestinian people are experiencing as a result of the continued aggression, so that they can convey the truth and expose the occupation and its crimes before the whole world.

WAFA's photojournalist in Tulkarm, Awwad, was detained by Israeli forces after storming his home in the Tulkarm camp.

Since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, six journalists and employees of the official Palestinian media have been killed while they were on duty.

K.T.