Israel's war on critical reporting

dossier

“…The fact that unpopular foreign media, with the television station “Al-Jazeera” at the top, should be banned in Israel was only worth a short report in the back of the feature section of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” a few days ago. (…) Even less mentioned is the fact that the army of Benjamin Netanyahu, his new partner and ex-general Benny Gantz, and their right-wing extremist comrades Ben-Gvir, Smotrich & Co. have so far killed 21 journalists and injured several others in their massive bombardments. Other media workers are missing or have been arrested in the Gaza Strip. In addition, the offices and buildings of several Palestinian media outlets in Gaza were leveled or severely damaged by Israeli bombs…" From theOverview of the Hanover Trade Union Forum from October 25, 2023, which we fully and gratefully document and add to below:

• Israel: criticism unwelcome. The government wants to revoke the citizenship of the makers of the documentary film “Naza” – which won the Special Jury Prize in Venice
  • Israel: criticism unwelcome. The hunt for directors continues. Netanyahu announces law under which “defamation” of the army will be punished with expatriation
    "Winned in Venice with the Special Jury Prize for their documentary film "Naza" about the murderous Israeli warfare in the Gaza Strip, in their own country the target of an unrestrained hunt because of precisely this film: Juval Abraham and Rachel Szor. On Wednesday, several dozen ultra-rightists, brought together by the notorious organizer of such intimidation attempts, Mordechai David, rioted in front of the house of Szor's parents in the Israeli community of Savjon, which has only 4,500 inhabitants The Israeli media unanimously reported chants of “death penalty for the traitors” and “slander for the fallen soldiers.” The lynching sentiment is also documented in several videos. Szor and Abraham are currently abroad. There is little other option for them The “activist” David, as the Israeli media still gently describes him, has specialized in the organized threats to journalists, artists and politicians with a “left-wing” profile. In several cases, people like him enjoy tacit approval or even encouragement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday evening that he would introduce two laws that would expand and intensify the systematic exclusion of critics of the prevailing conditions and practices should.On the one hand, it is about revoking the citizenship of people who “defame” the Israeli armed forces. On the other hand, the Prime Minister also wants to increase the maximum fine that someone can be sentenced to on this charge by twenty times. The far-right, pro-government daily Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu on Wednesday as saying: “Your place is not with us. We will hit them both on their citizenship and on their wallet.«….“ Article by Knut Mellenthin in the Junge Welt from September 18, 2026 
  • Documentary »Naza«: Hit the mark
    “The government wants to revoke the citizenship of the makers of the documentary “Naza”. Criticism of the Gaza war is taboo.
    Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have clearly struck a chord. The fact that the Israeli government wants to revoke their citizenship shows, above all, that doubts about Israel's conduct of the war are not allowed. Anyone who reacts to a documentary with such a radical punitive measure obviously wants to silence all criticism. From this one can only conclude that the two filmmakers hit the mark - mind you, Israeli citizens of Jewish faith and not some "anti-Semitic Israel-haters of Arab origin" that the Israeli government likes to defame.
    In Israeli politics, there has long been no distinction between the government and the opposition when it comes to Gaza. The war is supported and justified by all political camps. Where is this oh-so-open society in moments when criticism comes from within its own ranks, from its own citizens? The country has been living in a permanent state of war for a long time. A film like "Naza" is quickly seen as a stab in the back of one's own army, as a threatening defeatism that one cannot afford in view of the supposedly permanent threat.
    Based on statements from military personnel who speak anonymously, »Naza« reveals the brutality of Israel's warfare: indiscriminate killings of civilians, the destruction of residential buildings, the use of artificial intelligence with the aim of more efficiently extinguishing human life. In short, it shows the human abyss of soldierly action and obedience that most Israeli soldiers are unable to escape (…) Israel's government seems to take the position that a moral position is even undesirable. And the two directors should now feel this.”Comment by Cyrus Salimi-Asl from September 14, 2026 in ND online 
• Criticism is undesirable. The Israeli police are supposed to evaluate the work of foreign journalists who report critically about Israel - and then prevent them from entering the country
  "When the Italian reporter and photographer Alessandro Stefanelli wanted to travel to Israel in the summer of last year, as he has done so often in recent years, it was a big surprise. Entry permit was cancelled, says an email from the immigration authorities. Stefanelli should please contact the Israeli embassy in Rome. The reporter does so - in vain. So he decides to try his luck across the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank. Here he doesn't need any permission in advance, he tells him Lawyer. But the officers arrested him at the border crossing for about five hours and then brought him back to Jordan. Documents available to the taz show that Stefanelli was prevented from entering the country because of his reporting. The police found his articles “one-sided” and directed against Israel. Therefore, he will no longer be allowed to enter the country in the future. (…) His lawyer, Tamir Blank, finds clear words: "I think the police are on the verge of becoming the thought police. He was banished because he was doing his job as a journalist." Stefanelli is not the only foreign press representative to be denied entry to Israel since the war in Gaza. As the NGO Reporters Without Borders reports, the Spanish journalist Queralt Castillo and the Frenchwoman Khadija Toufik shared a similar fate. According to the NGO Index of Censorship, a police department evaluates the work of critical foreign press members. A corresponding request to the authorities remained unanswered. (…)
  Journalists' associations have long been complaining that the situation of press freedom in Israel has worsened since the beginning of the conflict. Foreign journalists are banned from entering the Gaza Strip. Only embedded reporters participating in Israeli military press tours are granted access. The Israeli government defends this with security concerns. Journalists' representatives criticize the decision as a clear violation of press freedom. In the Gaza war, more reporters were killed than ever before in an armed conflict. Almost 210 so far, according to the US Committee to Protect Journalists. The Israeli military often accuses them of working for Hamas. But robust, undisputed evidence of active activity within the terrorist organization, which has ruled Gaza as a political party for two decades, is rarely presented. The committee claims to have verified at least 75 cases in which reporters were killed in retaliation for their work. Israel has always denied the allegations. (…)
  On Monday, a statement from the Israeli military censor made the rounds among journalists. Accordingly, the press is not allowed to give exact figures when it comes to incoming missiles, but only talk about “single” or “dozens” of cruise missiles. The media is not allowed to publish rocket hits in strategic locations or at sea, nor are they allowed to publish images of interceptions in the air. Wording suggestions were also included: reporters should write “missiles that did not reach their target” rather than “missiles that missed their target or crashed.” Meanwhile, the exiled Italian reporter Stefanelli is still waiting for the Israeli court’s final decision. Of his experience, he says: “I see this as a clear censorship against press freedom, which Israel should respect as it calls itself the only democracy in the Middle East.” Article by Serena Bilanceri from June 11, 2026 in the taz online 
• Israel kills journalist Amal Khalil in Lebanon: The deadly attacks on the press are calculated
  “The death of journalist Amal Khalil was a targeted killing by Israel's military. International consequences are needed – not just in their case.
  Israel has once again targeted a journalist in southern Lebanon and prevented help by firing at the helpers - despite an agreed ceasefire. The killing of Amal Khalil was not an isolated act. It is an intentional continuation of a decades-long pattern by the Israeli army of deliberately intimidating, attacking and killing media workers in both Palestine and Lebanon. How long should we continue to write about the murders of our colleagues? Israel's military targeted first responders who tried to search for Khalil. The Red Cross rescue team had to wait for Israeli permission to return. Amal Khalil died during this time. The Lebanese army also needed permission to send a bulldozer to rescue the journalist from under rubble. (…)
  In which country do rescue workers have to wait for permission from another country to provide assistance in their own area? If not even the UN peacekeeping mission can protect our colleagues, who can? Clarification and criminal proceedings would be the minimum. Not just in the Khalil case. Israel's military has killed a total of 14 media workers in Lebanon since 2023. In both 2025 and 2024, the Israeli army was responsible for two-thirds of all killings of journalists worldwide. The killing of journalists is deliberate. Israel's military eliminates witnesses to the crimes it commits in order to silence them - and intimidate colleagues. Those who document war crimes become victims of these crimes themselves. Very few cases were investigated and in no case was anyone held accountable. Impunity for repeated Israeli war crimes against journalists must finally end. Otherwise it will happen again that we will bury colleagues.” Comment by Julia Neumann from April 23, 2026 in the taz online 
• Extreme exhaustion, constant danger: What it's like to work as a journalist in Gaza
  “Despite the partial opening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on February 1, journalists in Gaza continue to live in constant danger. Because under the Israeli blockade they are deprived of resources, freedom of movement and a functioning infrastructure. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Israeli government to lift the blockade immediately and uses the example of local reporters to explain the adversities their everyday work entails. "There has been a fragile ceasefire for almost four months, but the conditions for journalists in Gaza remain extreme. They are still in acute danger, struggling with destroyed infrastructure and a lack of resources," says RSF Middle East consultant Christopher Resch. "Nevertheless, they continue to report. We demand an end to the blockade and free access for international media so that the exhausted colleagues on site can finally be relieved." (…)
  Evacuations from Gaza are rare and aid deliveries are limited. Journalists remain cut off from the outside world and have no functioning equipment, protective clothing or sufficient access to electricity, fuel and the internet. “Internet is not available everywhere and is extremely expensive – sometimes ten times more expensive than usual. This also applies to charging cell phones, looking for a car or buying fuel,” explains Nur Swirki.
  Many journalists have lost their homes due to bombings. Some have been able to rent temporary accommodation, others continue to live and work in tents or near hospitals. Under these conditions, “journalistic work has become a fight for survival – not just a job,” summarizes Anas Baba.
  Across the border, in Israel, authorities continue to uphold their ban on foreign media entering Gaza. Neither international pressure nor the recent hearing before the Israeli Supreme Court, in which RSF was involved as amicus curiae, has changed this.
  “We need the support of our colleagues,” says Nur Swirki. “Not because we are incompetent – ​​but because we are exhausted and lack certain investigative skills, tools and expertise that they could bring to the table.”“Press release from February 5, 2026 from Reporters Without Borders 
• In the south of Gaza on January 21st. Three journalists working for international news agencies were killed in an attack by the Israeli army
  • Three journalists killed in Israeli army attack in Gaza
    “Three journalists were killed in an attack by the Israeli army in southern Gaza on Wednesday (January 21). There has been a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip since October. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Israeli authorities to finally better protect journalists and continues to push for a transparent investigation into this and previous killings.
    “The Israeli army has the technology to precisely identify each of its attacked targets,” says RSF Middle East consultant Christopher Resch. "We must therefore assume that the killing of the three journalists was at least accepted with approval. The Israeli army has a duty under international law to protect journalists - otherwise it is a war crime."
    According to RSF information, those killed regularly worked as photojournalists and video reporters for international news agencies. Abdul Raouf Shaath has worked several times as a photo and video journalist for the French AFP since 2024, the agency said. At the time of the attack, however, he was not traveling on their behalf. His last report on her behalf was published on Monday. He also worked for CBS News from the USA. Mohammed Kashta worked for Al-Jazeera (al-Jazeera) and Palestinian media in Gaza during the war and most recently reported on his Telegram channel for the Egyptian Relief Committee, an Egyptian state aid organization. Anas Ghanem, the third person killed, worked as a freelancer and, among other things, created drone footage for the media company Smart Media, which operates in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said it attacked suspects who were piloting a “Hamas-linked drone.”…”RSF press release from January 22, 2026 
  • Palestine: At least 234 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza
    “At least 234 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed during the war in Gaza, with several injured and others missing. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Union of Journalists (PJS) condemn the killings and ongoing attacks on journalists. The IFJ calls for an immediate investigation into their deaths.(…) On January 21, 2026, three freelance journalists, Mohammed Salah Qashta, Anas Ghneim and Abdul Raouf Shaat, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Al-Zahra area of ​​central Gaza. According to the PJS, the photojournalists were traveling in a vehicle “while conducting a humanitarian, journalistic mission to film and document the suffering of the civilian population.” Gaza's Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that the journalists worked for the Egyptian Committee for Gaza Relief, which coordinates Egypt's relief efforts in Gaza. One of the journalists, Abdul Raouf Shaat, was a freelance photo and video worker for the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency, it said…” EnglishReport from January 22, 2026 from IFJ (machine translated)
• Media in Israel: With their backs to the wall, journalists under pressure. Targeted campaigns and new laws threaten the free press
  “Journalists in Israel are under pressure: from hate, incitement, death threats and the government. Targeted campaigns threaten the free press.
  When Guy Peleg stepped onto the street after a lecture in Tel Aviv in mid-November, the Israeli journalist was already expected. Several men harass and threaten him. As he tries to drive away, they block his car. “Guy Peleg, no matter where you go in the world, you will need a police escort,” one of them shouts. The incident makes headlines. And yet it is just the latest example of many that shows:Journalists in Israel are increasingly working under hostile conditions .
  Peleg has long been hostile, not least because he reported on the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (…)
  The Israeli Television Channels Forum warned of a “sustained, organized and dangerous incitement against journalists and free media in Israel.” Their goal is to “undermine the independence of the media, close broadcasters and ultimately restrict freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” according to the umbrella organization of Israel’s three largest news channels, Channel 12, Channel 13 and the public broadcaster Kan. (…)
  The threats are just a tool used to build pressure on Israeli media, says Anat Saragusti, who is responsible for press freedom at the Israeli Journalists Union. “We have our backs against the wall.” Saragusti speaks of a “master plan by the Israeli government to weaken the free press in the country” and this comes “straight from the playbook of authoritarian regimes.” The closer the elections come next year, the more pressure will increase, she fears. A few days ago, the union called journalists together in Tel Aviv for an “emergency conference to save the press”.
  Danger from new laws
  There are several legislative processes underway that aim, for example, at privatizing public broadcasting or measuring audience ratings. This would have a direct impact on advertisements and thus on the finances of private broadcasters. In addition, the law under which Israel banned the Qatari broadcaster al-Jazeera from the country during the Gaza war is to be expanded. This is a danger for all foreign media, warns Saragusti: Anyone who poses a threat to the country's security is open to wide interpretation…”Article by Dinah Riese from December 15, 2025 in the taz online (“Media in Israel: With our backs against the wall”)
• Reporters Without Borders criticize attempts at intimidation in Israel against ARD Middle East correspondent Sophie von der Tann and other journalists
  "Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows solidarity with the ARD Middle East correspondent Sophie von der Tann. She is currently facing a shitstorm that is not limited to social media. Against this background, RSF criticizes the role of representatives of the Israeli state: The reserve army spokesman Arye Shalicar wrote that von der Tann is "the face of the new German hatred of Jews and Israel." Shalicar, but also Ron Prosor, the Israeli Ambassadors in Germany, repeatedly use social media to personally attack individual journalists. The ARD correspondent von der Tann is always the target. "We stand by Sophie von der Tann. Of course, journalistic work should and may be objectively criticized. However, when official representatives of a state use their role, their reach and their influence to defame individual media professionals by name, they are crossing a line," says RSF managing director Anja Osterhaus. "Such attempts at intimidation and insults can have serious consequences for the reputation and even the safety of those affected. The aim seems to be to deter media professionals from certain reporting. This is unacceptable." (…) Even before the current attacks against Sophie von der Tann, journalists and media were regularly attacked and sometimes defamed. (…)
  Other correspondents in Israel also report obstructions and attempts at intimidation by official bodies. A German journalist reported to RSF about open warnings: she was not allowed to publish certain information because it could “fall on her feet later.” A long-time German correspondent reported that it was common for young colleagues to be contacted by official Israeli authorities shortly after taking up their positions and receive “shots across the bow.” The treatment of taz correspondent Serena Bilanceri on July 7th at Tel Aviv Airport was particularly shocking. (…)
  The work of foreign journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been restricted for more than two years, particularly because the Netanyahu government is preventing free reporting in the Gaza Strip. Only rare, strictly guided military tours take place to convey one's own perspective on the war. Foreign media are therefore completely dependent on Palestinian colleagues for their reporting on the Gaza war. The Israeli army has killed more than 210 journalists since October 7, some of them targeted, and only in isolated cases has provided suspected evidence of membership in terrorist organizations. The Gaza war is therefore the deadliest conflict for media professionals in our time. Israel is now ranked 112th out of 180 in the press freedom ranking.” RSF press release from December 1, 2025 (“RSF criticizes attempts at intimidation against Sophie von der Tann and other journalists”)
• In the middle of the agreed ceasefire: Employees of ZDF partner company in the Gaza Strip killed by Israeli rocket attack
  • Israel's rocket attack: employee of ZDF partner company killed in Gaza Strip
    “A ZDF partner company was hit by a rocket in the Gaza Strip, killing two people. Editor-in-chief Schausten condemns the attack, Israel wants to investigate the incident. “The incident is part of a pattern of attacks against journalists,” says ZDF reporter Reichart about the Israeli attack on a ZDF partner company in Gaza. (…) At around 4:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. German time) “our Palestinian colleagues from Palestine Media Production (PMP) were hit by a rocket at their location in Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza,” says ZDF correspondent Thomas Reichart in the Tel Aviv studio. An engineer from the company and the eight-year-old son of another employee died. Another PMP journalist was injured…”Report from October 20th, 2025 in zdfheute
  • Attack on ZDF team: clarification required
    “The German Association of Journalists reacts with dismay and sadness to the murderous attack on a media production company in the Gaza Strip that works on behalf of ZDF, among others.
    An employee and an eight-year-old boy were killed when a rocket hit and another employee was injured. In addition, the team's technical equipment, including the SNG broadcast van, was destroyed. “The location of the production company was probably known to both the Israeli military and Hamas,” says DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster. "So why this attack in the middle of the agreed ceasefire? And why were journalists apparently being targeted again?" The Israeli military's response to ZDF's request that the incident was being investigated was not enough. “We demand a complete investigation into the attack and the legal prosecution that is usual in a democracy,” said Beuster. Those responsible should not go unpunished. In this context, the DJV chairman expects diplomatic support from Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul: “If freelance employees of the largest German television station are murdered, the federal government cannot stand idly by.” The current attack is part of a chain of killings of media workers in the Gaza Strip in the last two years. Beuster: “No conflict has claimed more journalists’ lives than the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.”“djv press release from October 20, 2025 
• Israel's military kills five journalists in Gaza
  “They die in an Israeli military airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. The number of media workers killed in the Gaza war rises to 192
  "Several Israeli air strikes in quick succession on the Al-Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 20 people, including 5 journalists, on Monday morning. A camera team from the Al-Ghad TV channel broadcast the rescue work in Khan Yunis in the south of the coastal strip live: The recording shows at least two paramedics wearing orange life jackets on an outside staircase that was often used by reporters for filming. Then suddenly a second projectile struck. Among others, the 33-year-old journalist Mariam Abu Dagga and the journalist Hussam al-Masri, both of whom worked as freelancers for the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies, were also among the dead According to his employer, Hatem Khaled was injured in the attack. (…) Although hospitals enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law, Israeli attacks on clinics in the Gaza Strip are commonplace. Israel accuses the radical Islamic Hamas of using them militarily, but rarely provides evidence of this. The number of journalists killed by Israel in the Gaza war since October 7, 2023 has increased with this attack, according to a count by the International Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ). 192.In August, following the killing of Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif along with four colleagues, the organization accused Israel of "deliberately and systematically" killing journalists in Gaza to prevent reporting on its actions in the Gaza Strip. Article by Felix Wellisch from August 25, 2025 in the taz online 
  • Palestine: At least 219 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza
    “At least 219 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed, several injured and others missing during the war in Gaza. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists Association (PJS) condemn the killings and the ongoing attacks on journalists. The IFJ calls for an immediate investigation into the deaths. (…)
    On August 25, an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, killed four journalists, including Hossam Al-Masri, a photographer for the Reuters news agency; Mohammed Salama, a photojournalist working for Al Jazeera; Maryam Abu Deqa, a journalist working for various media outlets such as Associated Press and Independent Arabia; and Moaz Abu Taha, a journalist working for NBC News. The PJS condemned the targeted attack.
    On the same day, freelance journalist Ahmad Abu Aziz, who worked for media outlets such as Middle East Eye and lived in Khan Yunis, succumbed to injuries sustained in the Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital. He was the fifth journalist to be killed in the said attack.
    Hours later, the PJS confirmed the killing of journalist and head of the investigative reporting department of the newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Hassan Douhan. According to PJS, Douhan was shot dead by Israeli forces in his tent in Mawasi, Khan Yunis on August 25…” EnglishStatement dated August 26, 2025 from IFJ (machine translated)
  • Deadly reporting: Journalists killed again in Gaza
    “At least 20 people, including five media workers, die in a double attack on Nasser Hospital in Gaza. The UN demands clarification. Israeli forces attacked Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists from various international media organizations. Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who worked as a contractor for Reuters, was killed in the first attack near a live broadcast position on the upper floor of the hospital, Palestinian health authorities said. Hospital staff and eyewitnesses reported that Israel then attacked a second time, killing more journalists as well as rescue workers and medics who had rushed to help…”Post by Marcel Kunzmann from August 26, 2025 on Telepolis 
  • Israel's war crimes: Bloody Monday for Gaza journalists
    “On Monday, six Palestinian journalists were murdered in attacks by the Israeli military. It was a “sad mishap,” said Netanyahu. The Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis was first shelled and then again after journalists and rescue workers rushed to the scene. They even broadcast the process live. It is a war crime called “double tap”. More than 200 colleagues have already been murdered…”Comment by Ralf Streck from August 26, 2025 in the overton magazine 
  • See also:
    • UNRWA:Commissioner-General on Gaza: more journalists killed today 
    • SafeJournalists Network Condemns the Killing of Five Journalists in Gaza 
  • #SupportPalestinianJournalists
  • “#Palestine: [UPDATE 08/25/2025] An Israeli airstrike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis killed 4 journalists: Hossam Al-Masri ofReuters, Mohammed Salama of Al Jazeera, Moaz Abu Taha of NBC News and Maryam Abu Deqa of AP and Independent Arab.” EnglishPost by IFJ- International Federation of Journalists from August 25, 2025 on bsky with 4 photos
• Israel, stop killing journalists! International journalists' associations are calling for the over 200 names to be read out publicly on Tuesday, August 26th. in Brussels
  “Come tomorrow, August 26th, at 11:30 a.m. to the Mont des Arts in Brussels to remember the over 200 journalists killed in Gaza and to demand: Israel, stop killing journalists!
  A public reading of the names of the journalists killed in Gaza will honor their courage, condemn their killing and demand justice.” EnglishCall from the European Federation of Journalists EFJ on Bluesky ,also IFJ ibid.
• The Israeli military kills prominent Gaza reporter Anas Al-Sharif and 5 other journalists/cameramen in a targeted attack, denounced as terrorists 
  • RSF condemns targeted killings in Gaza
    “Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns the targeted killing of well-known Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif and five of his colleagues by the Israeli army in Gaza. A total of six journalists were killed and three others injured in the August 10 attack on a tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City where media workers were staying. In addition to al-Sharif, those killed included his Al Jazeera colleagues Mohammed Qraiqea, Ibrahim al-Thaher, Mohamed Nofal and Mahmoud Aliwa as well as the freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khaldi.
    "The international community and we as RSF have repeatedly warned of the acute danger when media professionals are accused publicly and without convincing evidence of having close ties to Hamas. A real campaign has recently been waged against Anas al-Sharif in particular. This killing is not only a war crime, it also marks another high point in the systematic intimidation and violence against Palestinian media professionals," explains Anja Osterhaus, Managing Director of Reporters Without Borders Germany.
    Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, the broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other press freedom organizations had already rejected the allegations against al-Sharif as unfounded and warned that his work should be delegitimized with a targeted campaign. Such public accusations have been proven to increase the risk for journalists and reporters in war zones and, as in the case of al-Sharif, can have deadly consequences. Last week, media outlets in Germany again generally accused Palestinian media workers of being close to Hamas, questioned their credibility and described their protective clothing as “battle gear.” Reporting in this way specifically marks and endangers reporters on site…”RSF communication from August 11, 2025 
  • See also at PJS:The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate strongly condemns the heinous crime that targeted six martyred journalists 
  • DJV condemns killing of journalists
    “The German Journalists' Association condemns the killing of Palestinian journalists and cameramen by the Israeli military.
    The Israeli army had previously announced that it had killed Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif for alleged ties to the terrorist organization Hamas. Four other media workers are said to have died. Al-Sharif worked for the Al Jazeera channel. The broadcaster and the UN rejected the allegations against the journalist, which cannot be independently verified because international journalists are denied access to the Gaza Strip. Israel relies on intelligence information. “We demand clarification about the background to the killings,” says DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster. Even if Anas al-Sharif was a terrorist, that does not justify the airstrike on a journalists' tent in Gaza City where the Al Jazeera team was staying.
    In this context, the DJV chairman points to the "unbearably high number of journalists killed" since the beginning of the Gaza war: "The fact that media professionals are dying in the armed conflict is terrible enough. The fact that they are being targeted on the basis of unverifiable allegations is unacceptable," said Beuster.”djv press release from August 11, 2025 
  • Also shot: German media endanger their colleagues
    “…Many German editorial teams have long been playing an active role in endangering their colleagues in Gaza: We remember titles like “Can Journalists Be Terrorists?” or “Al-Jazeera: Supporting Hamas,” and countless other reports in which the allegations made by Israeli spokesmen and military officials, which are still mostly unsubstantiated or false, were taken up unchallenged and further disseminated. The “Bild” headline on Monday was completely shameless and immodest: “Terrorist disguised as a journalist killed in Gaza.” And this after "Bild" and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" had just a few weeks ago linked the journalist Anas Zayed Fteiha to Hamas with equally unsubstantiated claims and even spoke of an "assignment". This was gratefully picked up by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in order to delegitimize images of starvation from Gaza as staged. The fact remains: the starvation of Gaza is a reality, the murder of journalists in Gaza is a reality…”Comment by Julian Daum from August 11, 2025 in ND online 
  • Israel kills well-known Gaza reporter Anas Al-Sharif in a targeted attack
    “Al-Sharif was hailed as the “voice” of Palestinians in Gaza and was openly targeted by Israeli authorities.
    The Israeli military killed five journalists in a targeted attack in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including well-known reporter Anas al-Sharif, who was hailed as the "voice" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
    Israel attacked the journalists' tent in front of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Sunday evening. The journalists worked for Al Jazeera.
    Al-Sharif, one of Gaza's best-known journalists, had been receiving public death threats from Israeli officials for months. In October, Israel published a list of six Al Jazeera journalists in the northern Gaza Strip whom it accused of belonging to "terrorist" groups, without providing any evidence. That list also included al-Sharif and northern Gaza journalist Hossam Shabat, whom Israeli forces killed in a targeted attack in March this year.
    Last month, as Israel's hunger crisis rapidly worsened, al-Sharif became emotional in a report on the disaster. During his report, a woman collapsed on the street because she was weak from hunger, and the 28-year-old reporter shed tears over his grief. Someone off camera urged him: "Keep going, Anas. You are our voice."
    Following this report, the Israeli military's top spokesman, Avichay Adraee, repeatedly openly attacked al-Sharif on social media, calling him a terrorist and providing no evidence. Al-Sharif described these statements as “public incitement.”
    The Israeli military openly bragged about killing al-Sharif and his colleagues shortly after Sunday's attack, writing in a social media post: "STRUCK," along with a bullseye emoji. As with many of the more than 270 journalists killed in the genocide, Israel again accused al-Sharif of being a terrorist.
    Palestinians have long warned that Israel has fabricated evidence to smear al-Sharif.
    Shortly after his assassination, Al-Sharif's relatives posted on social media a message he had written in case of his death. The Al Jazeera reporter wrote that he had only ever hoped to live long enough to reunite with his family in his ancestral homeland of Al-Majdal, now occupied Asqalan, which was ethnically cleansed by Israeli forces during the 1948 Nakba.
    Both Al-Sharif and Qreiqeh had children from whom they were separated while they were in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli siege for more than a year, to report on atrocities there. (…)
    Al-Sharif posted video footage of Israeli attacks on Gaza City just minutes before Israel killed him. He previously called on the world to stop Israel's plan to take over Gaza City.
    "If this madness does not stop, Gaza will be reduced to rubble, the people's voices silenced, their faces erased - and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you refused to stop," he wrote. "Please share this message and tag anyone who has the power to help stop this massacre. Silence is complicity.”…” EnglishArticle by Sharon Zhang from August 11, 2025 in Truthout (machine translated) with many links, especially to videos from Al-Sharif
  • Here are the names of the journalists Israel killed in Gaza
    “Israel has killed nearly 270 journalists and media workers since its war on Gaza began…” EnglishArticle and list by Marium Ali and Hanna Duggal from August 11, 2025 Al Jazeera 
• More than 200 media workers killed in Israeli military attacks: RSF calls for more action to protect Palestinian journalists in Gaza
  • RSF: Federal government must act urgently
    "Ahead of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's planned trip to Israel, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the federal government to finally stand up for journalists in the Gaza Strip. After more than 660 days of war, Palestinian media workers report unbearable conditions: they have been expelled several times, their homes have been destroyed, they are defenseless against Israeli bombing and are increasingly starving. Since the beginning of the war, more than 200 media workers have been killed in attacks by the Israeli military. "Hunger, powerlessness, fear for themselves and their families - these are the working conditions of media workers in Gaza. (...) The already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza has recently become significantly worse. On July 21st, the journalists' union at the AFP news agency published a call for help. In it, they described that their ten local employees were at risk of starvation. (...) RSF expects the federal government to support injured and endangered media workers in leaving the country. So far they are responding German authorities are far too passive in response to specific requests for help from RSF. RSF also calls for the association agreement between the European Union and Israel to be suspended. According to Article 2 of the agreement, an “essential element” of bilateral relations is compliance with human rights. This principle is currently being blatantly violated, according to an appeal that RSF signed together with over 180 other organizations. RSF calls on the Federal Government to work together with other European heads of state and government to ensure that the EU uses this instrument.From RSF's perspective, it is an effective means of increasing pressure on the Israeli government to better protect journalists. RSF continues to demand that international journalists be allowed to travel to Gaza to report from there. The burden of reporting must not fall solely on the shoulders of Palestinian media professionals. They are already suffering from the enormous challenges of war and survival. More than 200 of them have been killed since October 7, 2023, at least 46 in connection with work. The Israeli army deliberately killed several of them and linked those killed to Hamas. However, credible evidence for this is lacking in most cases. RSF is also very concerned about the West Bank, where violent settlers repeatedly hinder the work of local and international media. The Israeli security forces often let them have their way. These attacks must end. For many months, RSF has also been calling on the government in Israel to adhere to its obligations under international law with regard to the protection of media workers. However, there is now a reasonable suspicion that independent reporting in and from Gaza is being systematically prevented and targeted. Media professionals are part of the civilian population; targeted attacks on them are war crimes. RSF has documented such war crimes in detail, including those committed by Hamas, in several criminal complaints before the International Criminal Court (ICC). RSF press release from July 30, 2025 
  • Journalists from Gaza should be allowed to rotate. International media companies warn against reporting being silenced
    "Ahead of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's (CDU) planned trip to Israel this week, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the federal government to do more to protect Palestinian journalists in Gaza. (...) The AFP journalists' union recently sent out a similar appeal for help, saying that local employees were at risk of starvation. BBC News, Reuters, Associated Press and AFP had also published a short joint appeal. RSF also reports similar "desperate requests for help." trustworthy sources from Gaza. The International News Safety Institute (INSI), which is dedicated to protecting journalists in conflict areas around the world, also sounded the alarm at the weekend. In a joint appeal, 38 media organizations - including "Guardian", "Financial Times" and "Washington Post" - called on Israel to allow local journalists and their families to leave the country and to grant access to international media. The world public is in danger of being systematically cut off from the events (…) There is little criticism of the Gaza war from the two major German journalists' unions, even after 22 months of devastating destruction and 60,000 deaths - on the contrary: the German Journalists' Association (DJV) caused outrage in social circles on Wednesday with a warning against attempts to manipulate "photos of severely emaciated children, whose condition is apparently not due to the famine in Gaza." Media.The reason was a debate about images of children from Gaza whose "pre-existing illnesses" had allegedly been concealed by the international media - even though those pictured were demonstrably suffering from hunger. The UN Children's Fund Unicef ​​and the United Nations World Food Program confirmed on Tuesday that Israel is systematically starving people in Gaza. On the same day, 31 well-known Israeli personalities published an open letter in the Guardian. It says: "Our country is starving the people of Gaza to death." Article by Matthias Monroy from July 30, 2025 in New Germany online 
• Genocide in Gaza: Lack of solidarity with colleagues. Neither German media nor local unions have contacted the Palestinian journalists' union in the last 22 months
  "As early as February 12, 2024, the Palestinian journalists' union Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) announced that 120 - or almost ten percent - of its approximately 1,300 members had been killed. In the first ten weeks after October 7, more journalists were killed than ever before in a single country in the course of a whole year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "Gaza is a cemetery for journalists," it said at the beginning of the year in the taz. And in April, Brown University's Watson School for International and Public Affairs released a report that said more journalists were killed in Gaza "than in the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan combined." With well over 200 journalists killed, Gaza is “simply the worst conflict of all time for reporters.” In addition, according to the PJS, there are hundreds of injured people and at least 125 journalists arbitrarily taken into administrative detention by Israel, many of whom have been demonstrably tortured. In view of this unprecedented level of lethal violence against press and media workers, one would actually expect empathy and a wave of solidarity with the affected colleagues on site.All the more so since international journalists are largely denied access to the Gaza Strip by Israel and local Palestinian journalists are among the only trustworthy sources that can be used to contrast the statements of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the largely fascist Israeli government. However, while IDF press releases are still quoted uncritically on a daily basis, the voices of Palestinian colleagues are still rarely or not heard at all in the German media landscape. And when they do, they are often delegitimized from the outset, doubted or even placed under general suspicion. (…) Like the German Union of Journalists (DJU), the PJS union belongs to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). According to PJS Vice President Tahseen al-Astal, DJU participated in the last IFJ Global Congress in Oman in June 2022. Furthermore, there has been no bilateral contact since then. Neither the DJU nor any other German union has sought contact with the PJS since October 7th, said the Gaza-based trade unionist. However, they maintain “close relationships with unions around the world”. In addition, PJS President Nasser Abu Bakr is currently Vice President of the IFJ. al-Astal, who has had to flee with his family more than ten times since October 7th, expressed to me several times his willingness and desire to exchange ideas with trade unions, the media and civil society in Germany. (…) Better to act too late than not to act at all.It's ok to change your mind when the cruelest truths and worst crimes against humanity can no longer be ignored or even justified in Germany. What is needed now is attitude and appropriate action. Dear colleagues in the unions, dear people in the media and in civil society, dear friends, dear everyone, let us finally ensure that Germany's support for this madness and dystopian horror is put to an end. Don't look away any longer, don't become numb, don't be silent, show solidarity! Contact the PJS, go to protests, or organize protests yourself. Join together and raise your voices because all people have a right to exist and live in peace. There is no right to oppression, expulsion and genocide.” Guest article by ver.di member Anton Wundrak Mantovanini from August 1, 2025 at etos.media 
  • Further information about the Palestinian journalists' union Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) is available atPJS homepage found in English
• “We refuse to see them die”: The last reporters in Gaza are at risk of starvation, warns the AFP journalists’ association SDJ
  • Journalists' Association warns: The last reporters in Gaza are at risk of starvation
    “The journalists' association of the AFP news agency is sounding the alarm: The last reporters and photographers still reporting from Gaza could die due to the lack of food and medicine. They live in the same conditions as the people of Gaza.
    The journalists' association SDJ of the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) haswarned about it on Mondaythat the last journalists reporting from Gaza will die. According to the SDJ, since the withdrawal of its permanent journalists, the AFP has now been working with a freelance text journalist, three photographers and six freelance video reporters in the Gaza Strip. The news agency is one of the few that still reports directly from Gaza because Israel prohibits the international press from entering the war zone.
    According to the journalist organization, AFP employees face the same conditions as the 2.3 million people living in Gaza. The press release says about one of the photographers: 30-year-old Bashar lives and works under the same conditions as all other residents of Gaza, moving from one refugee camp to the next depending on the Israeli bombings. He has been living in complete poverty for over a year, risking his life at work. Hygiene is a big problem for him; he suffers from severe intestinal diseases.
    Last Saturday, Bashar, who lives in the rubble of his family's home, posted on Facebook: "I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is emaciated and I can no longer work."
    Although the journalists receive a monthly salary from the AFP, there is nothing to buy or only at completely inflated prices. In addition, the banking system has collapsed, and those who exchange money between online bank accounts and cash are charging a commission of almost 40 percent for the service.
    On foot and with donkey carts
    The AFP no longer has the opportunity to procure a vehicle, let alone gasoline, so that its journalists can be mobile for their reports, it continues. Driving by car means running the risk of becoming a target for the Israeli Air Force. The AFP reporters travel on foot or with donkey carts.
    Other AFP employees live in tents and, according to SDJ, they also complain about the lack of food and water. “Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, do an interview, or document something, I don’t know if I’ll come back alive,” employee Ahlam said, according to SDJ. (…)
    The management of the AFP writes on X that it shares the concerns of the journalists' association. According to the newspaper Libération, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on France Inter radio that he had looked into "this issue" and expressed confidence that it would be possible to bring some journalists' staff out of the Gaza Strip in the coming weeks. He also calls, according to Libération, “for the free and independent press to be given access to Gaza to show and report on what is happening there“….”Contribution by Markus Reuter from July 22nd, 2025 in network politics 
  • “Since the AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can remember seeing a collaborator starve to death.
    We refuse to see them die.” FrenchPost by La SDJ de l’AFP from July 21, 2925 on exTwitter 
  • “The AFP management shares the fear expressed by the SDJ about the appalling situation of its employees in the Gaza Strip. For months we have had to watch helplessly as their living conditions have deteriorated dramatically. Their situation is untenable today, despite their courage, professional commitment and exemplary resilience. For this reason, the AFP, which after months of efforts managed to evacuate its eight employees and their families from Gaza between January and April 2024, is taking the same steps for its freelancers, despite the extreme difficulties of leaving an area under a strict blockade…” French.Post by Agence France-Presse from July 21, 2025 on bsky 
  • Voices from Gaza: Palestinian journalists report from Gaza amid famine
    “As Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe, Palestinian journalists are among those going hungry. Cut off from food, aid and support from the international press, they continue to report not only on the war but also on their own malnutrition.
    “Palestinian journalists are the last witnesses on the ground,” said CPJ regional director Sara Qudah. “Their reporting is vital, and their suffering is not collateral damage, but part of a deliberate tactic: to starve the press, to silence the truth.” Despite losing their homes, family members, friends, offices and colleagues, Gazan journalists bravely continue to report on a war that takes everything from them, including their ability to eat, sleep and bear witness.
    In CPJ's video series, Gaza journalists describe the enormous pressure they face while reporting from Gaza, where members of the press are under fire and starving. CPJ calls on world leaders to act immediately: protect the Palestinian press, ensure accountability, allow international media access, and finally allow journalists to eat and rest…” EnglishReport from July 22, 2025 at CPJ with video (machine translated)
  • Israel: Stop starving Gazan journalists to silence the truth
    EnglishProtest from July 22, 2025 by EFJ 
• Radical Israeli settlers attack two Deutsche Welle journalists in the West Bank - DW: “Israel must ensure the safety of journalists”
  • Attack on Deutsche Welle near Ramallah: transmitter in a hail of stones
    “In the West Bank, radical Israeli settlers attack two journalists from Deutsche Welle - not an isolated case in the occupied territories.
    According to the broadcaster, the two journalists from Deutsche Welle traveled to Sinschil, north of Ramallah, to report on a planned protest against Israeli settler violence. In the end, this same violence is said to have affected her personally - the latest incident in a long chronicle of violence in the Palestinian West Bank, which has been increasing since October 7, 2023.
    On Friday, a correspondent from the station's Jerusalem office and a cameraman were said to have been pelted with large stones and followed. Both were clearly recognizable as journalists wearing press vests, Deutsche Welle said in a statement. They were able to get to safety uninjured, but the cameraman's car was badly damaged, a window was shattered and the metal was dented. Other journalists from international media such as AFP, New York Times and Washington Post were also present and had to flee under a hail of stones…”Article by Nicholas Potter from July 6th, 2025 in the taz online 
  • DW: “Israel must ensure the safety of journalists”
    “On July 4, a DW correspondent and a DW cameraman north of Ramallah were pelted with large stones and chased by Israeli settlers as part of an attack on the village of Sinjil.
    They were able to get to safety without any physical injuries, but the cameraman's car was badly damaged: a window shattered and the sheet metal was damaged.
    DW director Peter Limbourg: "DW condemns this attack on our colleagues who traveled to Sinjil to report on a planned protest against settler violence. We are relieved that they were not physically injured in the attack and were able to escape to safety. There is no justification for this attack, and we demand very clearly: The Israeli government must guarantee the safety of all journalists in the West Bank. Freedom of the press - and thus the safety of journalists - is the indispensable pillar of everyone Democracy.”…”Press release from July 5, 2025 
• I was once a journalist in Gaza - now I'm a refugee in Egypt.
  “Denied the right to do my job, I went from reporting on the front lines of the Israeli military operation to fighting for survival in exile.
  In a quiet corner of an apartment in Cairo, Palestinian journalists sit in front of a blank screen. Just a few months ago, they were reporting from the heart of Gaza - documenting airstrikes, interviewing survivors and publishing articles that made headlines around the world.
  Today they are unemployed, unheard and in exile.
  More than 250 journalists from Gaza are living in Egypt after fleeing the Israeli military campaign that began in October 2023, according to figures from the Palestinian Journalists Association, which now has a presence in Cairo. Others have left the Gaza Strip since the so-called genocide began, emigrating to countries such as Oman, Qatar, Turkey and Canada. Once at the forefront of war reporting, these journalists now find themselves in a crisis of a different kind - a crisis characterized by silence, legal uncertainty and professional exclusion…” EnglishArticle by Youmna El Sayed from June 18, 2025 in Index on Censorship (machine translated)
• France: Hundreds of journalists and media organizations demand the release of journalist Yanis Mhamdi, arbitrarily detained in Israel
  “Yanis Mhamdi, who was stopped by Israeli forces in international waters off Gaza on June 8, is still in prison. The Blast journalist was aboard the ship Madleen to report with his Al Jazeera colleague Omar Faiad, who was expelled from Israel on June 11, the Freedom Flotilla militants' journey to break the Israeli-imposed humanitarian blockade in the Gaza Strip. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joins Blast in denouncing this arbitrary, unjustified and illegal arrest by Israel. We also denounce the French authorities' failure so far to release the French journalist and call on them to do everything possible to return to France as quickly as possible. We demand the immediate release of Yanis Mhamdi…” French.Report and open letter at Reporters sans frontières

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  Source: labournet.de