On the Occasion of World Press Freedom Day ICSPR Warns of the Continued Crimes of Targeting Journalists and Calls for International Protection for Journalists in Palestine

Date: May 2, 2025

Press Release

On the Occasion of World Press Freedom Day
ICSPR Warns of the Continued Crimes of Targeting Journalists and Calls for International Protection for Journalists in Palestine

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) extends its respect and appreciation to journalists in Palestine on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on 3 May, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation by UNESCO’s General Conference, to remind governments of their obligations to respect press freedom, ensure a safe environment for the free flow of information without intimidation or restrictions, and honor journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of the truth.

This year’s observance comes at a time when Palestinian journalists are facing some of the most extreme forms of targeting in modern history. According to documentation by ICSPR, the number of journalists killed since October 2023 has exceeded 275, including at least 70 journalists directly targeted while carrying out their field work, in what reflects a clear attempt to suppress the truth and eliminate witnesses to the crimes committed against civilians.

At the same time, ICSPR has monitored a dangerous escalation of violations in the West Bank, where the number of journalists detained in Israeli prisons since the beginning of the aggression has reached around 100 journalists, more than 50 of whom remain in detention under harsh conditions, most of them held under arbitrary administrative detention without charge or trial. Journalists in the Gaza Strip also face the risk of enforced disappearance in detention facilities that lack the most basic humanitarian and legal standards.

These systematic violations include multiple forms of field abuse, ranging from physical assaults, beatings, and prolonged arbitrary detention in degrading conditions while covering events, to the deliberate targeting of professional tools, as dozens of cases have been documented involving the confiscation and destruction of cameras and broadcasting equipment, as well as the prevention of media crews from reaching the scene by declaring areas “closed military zones”. The occupation also continues to pursue and arrest journalists without clear charges as a tool of intimidation and silencing.

This war has not been limited to the field, but has also extended into the digital sphere, where ICSPR has documented rising digital violations through the persecution of journalists over their views and the arrest of journalists on the basis of their online posts under the pretext of “incitement,” alongside the complicity of some digital platforms in removing Palestinian content and restricting its reach, and the use of advanced spyware to hack journalists’ phones and monitor their sources.

As ICSPR salutes journalists on their international day, it emphasizes that targeting them is a direct attack on the right to know and an attempt to impose a blackout on the crimes being committed. It further stresses that the free word will remain stronger than bullets, and that the truth will remain alive through the sacrifices of journalists.

Accordingly, ICSPR demands the following:

• Calling on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite the completion of investigations into the crimes of targeting Palestinian journalists and to issue arrest warrants against all those involved, in a manner that ensures an end to impunity.

• Urging the United Nations and the international community to activate field protection mechanisms for journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory and to take immediate action to stop violations against them.

• Requiring social media companies to respect human rights standards, end their bias against the Palestinian narrative, and stop arbitrary censorship policies targeting media content.

• Calling on the Palestinian National Authority and the relevant bodies to strengthen legal protections for journalistic work and to reduce restrictions and censorship in a way that reinforces the rule of law and public freedoms.

• Calling on Palestinian journalists to unify their professional and union efforts in confronting violations and defending press freedom.

• Calling on all international and Arab journalists’ unions to strengthen solidarity with Palestinian journalists and provide greater comprehensive support to journalists, their union, and media institutions, enabling them to continue their work and remain steadfast in the face of these crimes