RAMALLAH, September 26, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called for an independent international investigation into the Israeli occupation’s killing of Palestinian journalists and for holding the Israeli occupation accountable.
In a statement issued on Friday, marking the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists, which is recognized worldwide in honor of the struggle of Palestinian journalists, the Syndicate urged international protection for journalists working in the occupied Palestinian Territory and the immediate entry of foreign media into the Gaza Strip to ensure professional and transparent coverage of the situation on the ground.
The Syndicate also urged support for efforts to document violations through relevant international organizations, to refer them to international courts and legal bodies, and to activate international pressure mechanisms to end the targeting of Palestinian journalism, describing it as a flagrant violation of the right to knowledge.
It stressed that press freedom in Palestine is enduring one of the most severe waves of repression and systematic targeting by the Israeli occupation in modern times.
The Syndicate stressed that Palestinian journalists have become the first line of defense for the truth in the face of relentless aggression targeting people, land, and memory. It noted that the journalistic community has lost more than 252 colleagues since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, in addition to dozens who were injured, missing, detained, or forcibly displaced from their destroyed homes.
It added that more than 670 journalists’ homes have been completely destroyed since the start of the genocidal war, while over 1,000 journalists have been forced to flee repeatedly, reflecting the extent of the systematic targeting of national media.
The Syndicate held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these crimes, classifying them as war crimes under international law, particularly as they target a civilian group protected by the Geneva Conventions.
It further condemned the silence of some international institutions concerned with press freedom, describing it as complicity, negligence, and indirect participation in the continuation of these crimes.
The Syndicate affirmed that Palestinian journalists operate in an environment devoid of professional and humanitarian protection, facing constant threats of killing, detention, persecution, and defamation. Nevertheless, they continue to fulfill their mission with integrity and courage, driven by the belief in their people’s right to have their story conveyed truthfully to the world, it added.
T.R.
