African Journalists Condemn the Heightened and Relentless Deadly Attacks On Journalists in Gaza

We mourn our fallen colleagues, we recognise the trauma carried by victim journalists and we send our heartfelt solidarity to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), whose members continue to report in fear and grief.

What we are seeing is not one kind of harm but a systematic pattern of violation with few parallels in recent history. Journalists have been killed while working and while off duty in their homes with their families. News bureaus, local radio stations and clearly labelled press vehicles have been struck. Reporters have suffered serious injuries, been denied timely medical care or been forced to work without protective equipment. There have been arrests, incommunicado detention and reports of ill-treatment. Threats, smear campaigns and digital harassment have targeted colleagues’ reporting, causing months-long obstructions to outside media access. Equipment has been confiscated or destroyed along with personal archives and livelihoods.

These abuses are grave breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law. Israeli forces must protect journalists and other civilians, refrain from targeting the media and take active steps to prevent further harm. Every killing and every attack on a journalist must be subject to a full, independent and public investigation that leads to prosecution of those responsible. Immediate measures are needed to ensure safe and unimpeded reporting including guarantees for protective gear, credible evacuation arrangements and stable communications. All detained journalists must be released and any allegations of torture or cruel treatment must be investigated without delay.

In line with IFJ’s position, FAJ and its affiliated unions have total and undivided solidarity with our sister organisation, PJS, where there are still around 800 journalist members in Gaza alone. We will continue to uplift and strengthen the voices of Palestinian journalists, particularly those who remain in Gaza to report and tell the story, whose severe safety risks and care burdens are often unseen, despite the unimaginable challenges of reporting in conflict, staying safe and resisting impunity. We call for urgent and increased mobilisation and support for the IFJ’s International Safety Fund, which is providing badly needed solidarity support to victim journalists.

To governments, continental organisations, regional bodies and UN agencies, our message is clear. Act now to protect Palestinian journalists, safeguard media infrastructure and uphold the public’s right to know. Facilitate access for independent media and humanitarian actors. Ensure that investigations lead to justice not closed files. We also urge states to adopt a new international convention on the protection of journalists, as proposed by the IFJ, to deliver binding guarantees for their safety and independence.

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