As part of its commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, ActionAid, an international charity has commended Palestinian journalists for their “bravery” in documenting the continuing war in Gaza.
Riham Jafari, ActionAid Palestine’s advocacy and communications coordinator, stated that if it weren’t for the heroism and bravery of Palestinian journalists working amid incredibly dangerous and challenging conditions, the world would be “almost entirely in the dark about the horrific situation in Gaza.”
“It is appalling that so many have been killed, while others – both in Gaza and the West Bank – have faced arbitrary arrest and harassment from the authorities. Journalism is not a crime.”
Riham Jafari
He also called for an immediate ceasefire to end the bloodshed.
“The scale of crisis there is overwhelming: there must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire now, to put an end to the killing and allow life-saving aid into the territory.”
Riham Jafari
On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, all Palestinian journalists covering Israel’s war on Gaza were awarded UNESCO’s world press freedom prize.
“In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances,” Mauricio Weibel, Chair of the international jury of media professionals, said during the announcement.
“As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression,” Weibel added during the ceremony.
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the prize pays “tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances.”
Speaking with a news agency, Hamza Chaka, a Palestinian journalist and filmmaker, stated that Palestinian journalists have been doing “a very hard and necessary job” during the seven months of Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Journalists are still paying the price of the war there,” he added.
Chaka also stressed that Israel uses scare tactics on Palestinian journalists by intimidating and humiliating them.
He added that the majority of the journalists in Gaza refuse to leave the besieged and bombarded territory and keep on reporting.
In 2023, more than three-quarters of the 99 journalists and media workers killed worldwide died in Israel’s war on Gaza.
The toll has only increased in 2024, with an average of five journalists being killed in Gaza per week, according to figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office.
A Palestinian journalist, Wael Dahdouh, who has lost more than a dozen family members, including his son and fellow journalist Hamza Dahdouh, to the war, noted that journalists are making tremendous sacrifices to show the world what is happening in Gaza.
“Palestinian journalists in Gaza are exposed to some of the most horrific attacks and live in the worst conditions.
“They sacrifice themselves and their families for the sake of doing their job and completing their mission, to tell the world about the truth on the ground.”
Wael Dahdouh
53 Palestinian Journalists Detained
In a statement marking World Press Freedom Day, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society issued a reminder that 53 Palestinian journalists are currently detained by Israeli forces.
Forty-three of the journalists were detained following October 7, the group said, including four who have been deemed “forcibly disappeared” because Israel has provided no information about their status or whereabouts.
“The targeting of Palestinian journalists has been and remains one of the most prominent policies pursued by the occupation throughout its history,” the Prisoner’s Society said.
Meanwhile, Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement, “When we lose a journalist, we lose our eyes and ears to the outside world. We lose a voice for the voiceless.”
He added, “World Press Freedom Day was established to celebrate the value of truth and to protect the people who work courageously to uncover it.”
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