Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate: 122 violations against Palestinian journalists recorded in February 2026
RAMALLAH, March 11 (YPA) -The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate documented 122 violations, assaults, and crimes against Palestinian journalists and media institutions during February 2026, amid the continued policies of restriction and direct targeting of journalistic work, particularly during field coverage in the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem.
Monitoring and documentation data issued by the Committee showed that Israeli occupation forces continued their systematic targeting of media crews by preventing field coverage, firing live ammunition as well as tear gas and sound grenades toward them, in addition to arrests, summonses, and various punitive measures, in an attempt to obstruct the transmission of the truth and restrict media work.
According to the report, preventing coverage and detaining press crews topped the list of violations, with 52 cases recorded in which journalists were prevented from carrying out their work or were detained while performing their duties in various locations, particularly during military raids or while covering settler attacks.
The Committee also documented 17 cases of arbitrary bans imposed on journalists from covering events in the courtyards and surroundings of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of a policy aimed at limiting media coverage of events in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially in the period preceding the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
The report further recorded 8 cases of firing tear gas and sound grenades toward journalists, in addition to 6 cases of direct gunfire aimed at press crews during field coverage, posing a direct threat to journalists’ lives and safety.
Regarding arrests, the Freedoms Committee documented 7 cases of journalists being arrested, along with 6 court appearances and 6 cases of summons and interrogation, which the Committee described as the use of arbitrary legal procedures as a tool to pressure journalists and restrict their work.
The violations also included 5 raids on the homes of journalists and media institutions, as well as 5 cases of blocking online news websites, in a step aimed at limiting the spread of Palestinian media content.
In addition, the report recorded 4 cases of destruction and confiscation of journalistic equipment, 3 cases of physical assault on journalists while performing their work, 2 cases of financial fines imposed on journalists, and one case of a journalist being banned from travel.
The Freedoms Committee at the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate affirmed that these figures reflect a dangerous escalation in the pace of violations against Palestinian journalists, noting that targeting journalists constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions that guarantee freedom of journalistic work and the protection of journalists while performing their duties.
The Committee called on international institutions concerned with press freedom and human rights to urgently intervene to provide protection for Palestinian journalists and to pressure the occupation authorities to halt the ongoing violations against them, ensuring that they are able to perform their work freely and safely.
@E.Y.M