RAMALLAH, September 26, 2026 (WAFA) — The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Journalists is observed today, marking 30 years since it was established by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on September 26, 1996, following the events of the Tunnel Uprising, when Palestinians protested Israel's opening of a tunnel beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

The occasion this year comes amid an unprecedented escalation in attacks and violations against Palestinian journalists since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and its broader military campaign in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in October 2023.

According to figures documented by the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, 262 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7, 2023, including 261 in Gaza and one in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Six journalists were killed during 2026, according to the syndicate.  

The syndicate documented approximately 300 crimes, violations and attacks against journalists since the beginning of 2026, including six killings, 10 direct injuries, 22 detentions, 120 cases of brief detention or prevention from covering events, and 12 attacks by Israeli colonists. 

Journalists have also faced direct gunfire, tear gas and stun grenades, travel restrictions, equipment destruction and confiscation, fines, and restrictions on reporting, particularly in occupied Jerusalem and around Al-Aqsa Mosque. Colonist attacks against journalists have also reached 139, while Palestinian journalists' families have suffered 713 fatalities.

The syndicate also documented 240 incidents of gunfire directed at media crews and 352 incidents involving tear gas or stun grenades. Journalists have additionally been subjected to beatings, attempted vehicle attacks, home raids, confiscation of professional equipment and personal belongings, and travel bans.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), using its own methodology, reported on September 24 that at least 247 journalists and media workers had been killed across Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Israel and Iran since October 7, 2023. 

The IFJ established the September 26 solidarity day in 1996 to highlight the risks faced by Palestinian journalists and their role in documenting events in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

M.N