Journalist Syndicate: Motivations and Consequences of the Israeli Occupation Army's Killing of 706 Members of Palestinian Journalists' Families

SadaNews - A report issued by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate revealed that the targeting of the Palestinian press by the Israeli occupation army has not been limited to direct killings, injuries, arrests, or bans on coverage, but has evolved to take a more serious and brutal dimension represented in the targeting of journalists' families and relatives, in a clear attempt to turn journalistic work into an existential burden paid for by children, wives, fathers, and mothers.

According to monitoring and documentation by the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the targeting of journalists' families has become a systematic and recurring pattern during the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, claiming the lives of approximately 706 family members of journalists in the Gaza Strip, and all indicators prove that this targeting is not incidental incidents resulting from the conditions of war.

According to the Freedoms Committee’s follow-ups, the number of martyrs from Palestinian journalists' families reached:

In 2023: about 436 martyrs

In 2024: about 203 martyrs

In 2025: 67 martyrs, despite forced displacement and living in tents and shelters.

The latest incident in this context occurred a few days ago, when nearly two years after the Israeli airstrikes on their home west of Khan Younis, the body of colleague journalist Heba al-Abadla, her mother, and about 15 members of the Al-Astal family were recovered.

These numbers mean that hundreds of children, women, and the elderly were killed due to the professional connection of one family member to journalistic work, in a blatant violation of all humanitarian and legal norms.

The documented incidents show that the targeting took various forms, most notably: direct bombing of journalists' homes, resulting in the martyrdom of a large number of their family members, complete family deaths in some cases, turning the journalist into a living witness to the demise of their family, targeting places of refuge and tents to which journalists’ families fled after their homes were destroyed, and the repeated bombing of areas known to be inhabited by journalists and their families without effective warnings.

The targeting of journalists' families represents a qualitative shift in the behavior of the occupation at three levels:

From individual targeting to collective targeting: the journalist is no longer alone the target; the family has turned into a tool of pressure and collective punishment, contrary to the essence of international humanitarian law.

Transforming journalism into a danger to personal life: the occupation seeks to send a message that journalistic work is now a danger not only to the journalist but also to their social and familial environment.

Drying up the supportive environment for the media: when the family is targeted, the community itself becomes afraid to embrace or support the journalist, leading to the erosion of social protection for journalists.

The psychological and social dimension: the effects of these crimes are not limited to human losses but extend to:

Deep psychological trauma for journalists who have lost their children, spouses, or parents, family disintegration, loss of the sense of security, forcing journalists into displacement or temporary work cessation, and imposing a harsh sense of guilt on journalists, within a framework of organized psychological warfare.

The Freedoms Committee emphasizes that this psychological dimension is an integral part of the oppression system.

The relative decrease in the number of martyrs from journalists' families in 2025 indicates coercive factors, notably:

Mass displacement and destruction of most homes, families fleeing to overcrowded tents and shelters, family dispersion, and the absence of stable addresses for targeting.

Nevertheless, the martyrdom of 67 individuals from journalists' families in displacement circumstances confirms that the targeting has not stopped but rather adapted to the new reality.

As for the legal dimension, it constitutes a complete crime since the targeting of journalists' families constitutes:

A clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit targeting civilians, constituting a violation of the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants, a violation of the principle of proportionality in the use of force, and collective punishment prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The targeting of journalists' families has led to:

Undermining the freedom of media work, creating a hostile and dangerous work environment, isolating Palestinian coverage media-wise, and pushing journalists to work under constant threat.

Which constitutes a direct assault on the Palestinian and global community's right to know.

The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirms that: the targeting of journalists' families is a crime that will not be subject to statutes of limitations; the occupation bears full legal responsibility for these crimes; international silence has encouraged the continuation of these violations.

The Journalists Syndicate demands: the opening of an independent international investigation, urgent action from all human rights and syndical organizations locally, regionally, and internationally, providing international protection for Palestinian journalists and their families, and including these crimes in files for international legal prosecution.

Head of the Freedoms Committee at the syndicate, Mohammad Al-Laham, affirmed that the targeting of Palestinian journalists' families during the years 2023-2025 clearly reveals that the Israeli occupation is waging a comprehensive war on the truth, which does not distinguish between the camera and the child, nor between the pen and the house.

The Freedoms Committee confirms that the blood of journalists' families will remain a living witness to the crime of attempting to silence the Palestinian voice and that the truth will remain stronger than killing.

Journalist Heba al-Abadla and her mother, recovered from the rubble of their home after hours of excavation.

Two years since the recovery of the martyr journalist Heba al-Abadla's body, her mother, and 15 members of the Al-Astal family, where the Israeli airforce had bombed their home west of Khan Younis.