RAMALLAH, The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) says eight Palestinian journalists were killed and 467 violations against media workers were documented across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip during the first six months of 2026, raising renewed concerns over press freedom in the Palestinian territories.
Presenting the findings at a press conference in Ramallah, the syndicate accused Israeli forces and settlers of carrying out what it described as a systematic campaign targeting journalists and restricting independent media coverage.
Mohammed Al-Lahham, head of the syndicate’s Freedoms Committee, said the reported incidents formed part of “a systematic policy aimed at obscuring the media landscape” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The targeting of journalists is not a series of isolated incidents, but part of an aggression targeting the right to knowledge and the transmission of truth,” Al-Lahham said.
According to the report, more than 41% of the recorded violations involved preventing journalists from covering events or detaining media crews, with 192 incidents classified as direct attempts to obstruct journalistic work.
The syndicate said the latest fatalities bring the total number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023 to 264, based on its records.
The report also documented:
- 27 arrests of journalists
- 29 incidents involving live ammunition
- 78 cases involving tear gas or stun grenades
- 14 physical assaults
- 2 gunshot injuries
- 16 armed threats
- 6 attacks allegedly carried out by Israeli settlers
- 19 journalists barred from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem
- 22 cases of media equipment being confiscated or damaged
In addition, the syndicate said Israeli forces raided seven homes and media organizations, shut down three media institutions, and blocked access to five news websites during the reporting period.
The report identified February as the month with the highest number of alleged violations, recording 122 incidents, followed by January (109) and June (89).
Since October 2023, the organization says it has documented 4,127 violations against Palestinian journalists, including 193 arrests, the destruction of 187 media institutions, and damage to 140 journalists’ homes. It also reported that 713 relatives of journalists have been killed during the same period.
Palestinian Journalists Syndicate President Nasser Abu Bakr said the organization has submitted evidence to international bodies, including at a United Nations conference in Geneva under the auspices of the International Federation of Journalists.
He added that France’s national journalists’ union intends to file a lawsuit in French courts over alleged war crimes against journalists and called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to accelerate investigations into alleged crimes committed against Palestinian media workers.
The Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have consistently denied deliberately targeting journalists, stating that military operations are directed against legitimate security threats. Israeli authorities have also alleged that some media workers killed during the conflict were affiliated with or embedded alongside armed groups.
