Israeli forces and illegal settlers carried out at least 108 attacks against Palestinian journalists and media workers in the occupied West Bank during July, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
The syndicate’s Freedoms Committee documented violations including detentions, physical assaults, interrogations, restrictions on journalistic coverage, and the confiscation or destruction of press equipment.
The committee said the attacks have made it increasingly difficult for Palestinian journalists to document Israeli military raids and settler violence on the ground.
58 Journalists Detained or Restricted
Brief detentions and restrictions on journalistic work represented the largest category of violations, with 58 cases documented during July.
The committee also recorded 11 attacks by illegal settlers against journalists. These included physical assaults, pushing, and threats, particularly while journalists were covering settler attacks and Israeli military raids.
Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas at journalists in 12 incidents, causing some journalists to suffer suffocation.
The syndicate documented six cases in which journalists were beaten, while four journalists sustained bleeding injuries, including injuries caused by shrapnel while covering developments in the Gaza Strip.
Two journalists were detained and four others were interrogated about their reporting.
Media Offices Raided and Equipment Destroyed
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate recorded four raids on journalists’ homes or media offices, including the closure of one media outlet.
Journalistic equipment was confiscated or destroyed in three cases, while footage was deleted in two incidents.
Two journalists were also expelled from the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied holy city of Al-Quds.
The syndicate called for journalists to be allowed to work free from threats, attacks, and pursuit and demanded accountability for those responsible.
More Than 270 Journalists Martyred
The July figures add to the broader toll against journalists since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
Rights groups have documented that more than 270 journalists have been martyred in Israeli attacks during this period, alongside a sweeping campaign of arbitrary press detentions.
The continued attacks have placed Palestinian journalists under severe pressure while they continue documenting Israeli military operations, settler violence, and the humanitarian situation across the occupied Palestinian territories.
