Journalists' Syndicate: The occupation committed 55 violations against Palestinian journalists during May

SadaNews - The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has observed a noticeable increase in the violations and assaults committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian journalists during the month of May 2026, as part of a systematic policy aimed at restricting the freedom of media work and preventing journalists from performing their professional duty of conveying the truth and documenting violations on the ground.

The committee reported in its monthly report that it documented 55 violations against Palestinian journalists and media institutions during the past month, including two injuries from live bullets during field coverage, two cases of arbitrary detention, and 30 cases of detention and preventing work and coverage, in addition to five cases of direct gunfire aimed at journalists, and five assaults using tear gas and sound bombs.

The report also recorded two cases of confiscation of journalistic equipment, two cases of physical assault on journalists, and two cases of being barred from coverage in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with one case of storming and closing a media institution, one case presented in court, and three cases of investigation and summoning of journalists.

The Freedoms Committee confirmed that these practices represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, Geneva Conventions, and international treaties related to freedom of opinion and expression, which ensure the protection of journalists while carrying out their professional duties. It pointed out that the escalation of targeting reflects an organized approach aimed at restricting media coverage and preventing the transmission of the reality and violations experienced by the Palestinian people.

The committee emphasized that the targeting of Palestinian journalists has become an increasing threat to press freedom and the public's right to access information, asserting that the occupation continues to use various means to suppress media work, including arrest, detention, physical assault, and impeding field coverage.

It called on international human rights and media organizations, the United Nations, the International Federation of Journalists, and all relevant parties concerned with press freedom to assume their legal and ethical responsibilities, and to pressure the occupying authorities to stop their ongoing violations against Palestinian journalists, hold the perpetrators accountable, and provide the necessary protection for those working in the media sector.

The committee confirmed its commitment to documenting and monitoring violations committed against Palestinian journalists and following up through the appropriate international legal mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of these crimes do not escape punishment.

These violations come amid an escalation of Israeli assaults against Palestinian journalists in various Palestinian governorates, especially during coverage of incursions, settler assaults, and the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, in clear violation of international law and United Nations resolutions regarding the protection of journalists in conflict areas.