RAMALLAH, April 8, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the assassination of journalist Mohammed Samir Washah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, who was killed in a deliberate Israeli shelling targeting a civilian vehicle in the heart of Gaza City.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Syndicate described this as a full-fledged crime that can only be characterized as a field execution of journalism and truth, adding to the black record of the Israeli occupation.

The Syndicate stated that what occurred was not a passing incident but a clear crime reflecting the occupation's determination to pursue the free Palestinian voice and target anyone carrying a camera or a pen in a desperate attempt to obscure the truth and break the Palestinian narrative.

It confirmed that this crime comes in the context of a dangerous and systematic escalation, raising the number of slain Palestinian journalists to 262, which serves as a shocking indicator of the scale of deliberate targeting against Palestinian media.

The Syndicate also mourned journalists Ghada Al-Dayekh and Suzan Khalil, who were killed in Lebanon, describing their killing as a clear extension of Israel’s policy of targeting journalists wherever they are, reflecting the growing scope and severity of these violations.

It stressed that this direct targeting of journalists while practicing their professional duty constitutes an explicit declaration of an open war on the media and a flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions.

It noted that the blood of their colleague Washah and his fellow journalists who were killed is not merely a number added to the record of victims, but a living testimony to the ongoing crime against Palestinian, Arab, and international journalism, forming part of a systematic policy aimed at intimidating journalists and forcing them into silence—a goal that will not be achieved.

It held the occupation authorities fully responsible for these war crimes, calling for international prosecution and rejecting the international silence that provides cover for these violations.

The Syndicate called for an immediate and transparent international investigation into Mohammed Washah's assassination, the provision of urgent international protection for all journalists, and serious action to ensure perpetrators are held accountable and ensure they do not escape punishment, and an end to the systematic targeting of Palestinian media wherever it operates.

The Syndicate concluded by offering condolences to the families of all journalists who have been killed, affirming that this sacrifice will not be in vain and that the demand for justice remains absolute.

A.D./T.R.