Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace
Member of the Ansar Allah Political Bureau, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti: The Israeli aggression on Yemen will not deter us from continuing to support Gaza, no matter the sacrifices
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Israeli aggression targeted the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street, southwest of the capital, Sanaa, with several raids

On World Press Freedom Day, UN mourns 200+ journalists killed in Gaza

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 2 May 2025 22:50
3 Min Read

With 211 journalists killed and 49 detained, the UN condemns escalating violations against Palestinian media in Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli occupation.

Listen
  • x
  • Palestinians, mostly journalists, gather around the bodies of five Palestinian journalists who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 (AP)
    Palestinians, mostly journalists, gather around the bodies of five Palestinian journalists who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 (AP)

As the global community marks World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory (OHCHR) expressed urgent concerns regarding the rising number of Palestinian journalist fatalities.

In a statement, the office confirmed the killing of 211 journalists in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including 28 women journalists, while UNESCO reported that at least 47 journalists have been killed while on duty.

Additionally, the latest figures from Palestinian authorities reveal that 49 journalists remain incarcerated in Israeli detention centers as of Tuesday, highlighting the severe risks faced by media workers in the region.

Press vests draw fire rather than prevent it

A journalist informed the UN office that protective press vests, originally intended as safety gear, have now become markers that draw fire rather than prevent it, emphasizing what the agency referred to as compelling evidence suggesting Israeli military operations may have intentionally singled out journalists, which, if verified, would amount to war crimes.

Journalists held in Israeli custody have informed the UN Human Rights Office that they faced physical assaults, degrading treatment, and sexual and gender-based violence while being questioned about their reporting, a systematic pattern of mistreatment that the UN describes as consistent with broader efforts to intimidate and discredit Palestinian media.

Media silencing escalates in Gaza, West Bank

Related News

WFP Chief: 'Difficult to deliver aid when Israelis point guns at us'

Yemen: 6 martyred, 86 wounded in Israeli aggression on Sanaa

The UN criticized "Israel's" ongoing ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza since the start of the war, permitting only tightly controlled, military-escorted access.

The agency stated that this policy has forced Palestinian journalists to document events under fire while enduring the same violence they are reporting on, leaving them as the sole witnesses to the crisis.

“Their lives and work are under constant threat,” the United Nations said, adding that “they are balancing fear for their families' survival with the responsibility to document crimes against their people.”

Journalists' situation in West Bank not better

Across the occupied West Bank, encompassing occupied al-Quds, Palestinian journalists persistently endure intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and physical aggression.

The UN has confirmed multiple instances of unjustified detentions, especially in high-tension areas such as the Jenin refugee camp and other conflict hotspots.

Palestinian and Israeli security forces alike have imposed severe limitations on journalists attempting to cover events in these regions, frequently resorting to intimidation tactics, unlawful detention, and in extreme cases, the unjustified application of violent measures.

Systematic repression

Amid heightened tensions during a prolonged six-week security crackdown in Jenin that drew significant media scrutiny, Palestinian officials imposed restrictions in January 2025, prohibiting multiple news organizations from operating, justifying the move by accusing them of spreading inflammatory content and false narratives.

The UN stressed that such systematic repression and attacks not only breach fundamental principles of international humanitarian and human rights law but also create significant barriers to ensuring proper scrutiny and justice for continuing abuses across the occupied Palestinian territory.

“The killing, detention, and harassment of journalists must end immediately,” the international bloc stated, calling for holding perpetrators accountable for their actions, "including by third-state parties."

“In times of conflict, the media plays a vital role in exposing abuses and ensuring justice. Efforts to silence them are deeply disturbing and must not be tolerated by the international community," the office concluded. 

  • Israel
  • World Press Freedom Day
  • United Nations
  • West Bank
  • Palestinian Journalists
  • Gaza

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Palestine will not be liberated by UN reports, but by pursuing a different strategic horizon: one that does not beg for recognition. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Economy of Genocide: Albanese's report accuses, but doesn't dismantle system

  • Opinion
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS