Journalist Syndicate: 122 Violations Against Palestinian Journalists in February 2026, Most Notably in Jerusalem

SadaNews - The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate recorded 122 violations, assaults, and crimes against Palestinian journalists and media institutions during February 2026. This occurred amid ongoing policies of restriction and direct targeting of journalistic work, especially during the coverage of field events in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The monitoring and documentation data released by the committee indicated that Israeli occupation forces continued their systematic targeting of journalists, by preventing them from conducting field coverage, firing live ammunition and gas and sound bombs towards them, in addition to arrests, summonses, and various punitive measures, in an attempt to obstruct the transmission of truth and restrict media work. According to the report, preventing coverage and detaining journalistic teams topped the list of violations, with 52 cases recorded of preventing journalists from carrying out their duties and detaining them in various locations, particularly in military raid areas or while covering settler assaults. The committee also documented 17 cases of arbitrary expulsion of journalists from covering events in the courtyards and surroundings of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of a policy aimed at limiting media coverage of events in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, especially before the beginning of the month of Ramadan. The report also recorded 8 cases of firing gas and sound bombs towards journalists, in addition to 6 cases of direct gunfire towards journalistic teams during field coverage, posing a direct threat to the lives and safety of journalists. Regarding arrests and legal measures, the Freedoms Committee documented 7 cases of journalists' arrests, alongside 6 cases presented in courts and 6 cases of summons and interrogation, in the context of what 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 cases of storming the homes of journalists and media institutions, in addition to 5 cases of banning electronic media websites, in a move aimed at limiting the spread of Palestinian media content. Moreover, the report recorded 4 cases of destruction and confiscation of journalistic equipment, alongside 3 cases of physical assaults on journalists while they were at work, as well as two instances of imposing financial fines on journalists, and one case of preventing a journalist from traveling. The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate affirmed that these figures reflect a serious escalation in the rate of violations against Palestinian journalists, indicating that targeting journalists constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and international treaties that guarantee the 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 intervene urgently to provide protection for Palestinian journalists, pressuring the occupying authorities to stop the ongoing violations against them, and ensuring their ability to perform their work freely and safely.