New York, February 1, 2024—The ongoing Israel-Gaza war has had an unprecedented and devastating effect on journalists. By late January 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had documented the killing of more than 80 journalists and media workers in the conflict, the majority of them Palestinian reporters trapped inside Gaza. CPJ’s reporting also points to ongoing press freedom violations across the occupied West Bank against journalists reporting on the war, including assaults, arrests, information blackouts, and the killing of family members.
Amid continuous airstrikes and the blocking of international journalists from entering Gaza, local journalists are on the frontlines of this story as they try to survive every day. Like much of the civilian population of Gaza, Palestinian journalists are struggling to cope with food, fuel, and water shortages while lacking access to protective gear and sometimes unable to recharge their phones or replace their damaged equipment.
To ensure that journalists have access to basic supplies at this crucial time, CPJ has committed $300,000 in emergency funds to support Palestinian journalists.
The funds are being disbursed via local and regional organizations, namely the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), and Palestinian NGO Filastiniyat, who are best placed to assist and will cover equipment replacement, emergency shelter, food, and medical supplies as required. The aim of CPJ’s assistance and implementation through these local organizations is to ensure that journalists inside Gaza remain safe and able to continue bringing the news from the frontlines to the rest of the world.
Given the ongoing devastation in Gaza, CPJ expects that additional funding will be necessary and is regularly reassessing the needs of journalists in order to coordinate and respond accordingly.
CPJ is grateful to supporters including the Freedom of the Press Foundation and others who have helped raise emergency funds to provide this support.