Bilal Jadallah, director of Press House-Palestine, a nonprofit that supports the development of independent Palestinian media, was killed in his car in Gaza in an Israeli shelling, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Al Qahera News, and the Cairo-based Youm7.
Jadallah’s sister told Reuters that he was heading to the south from Gaza City, but was killed by an Israeli tank shell in the Zeitoun neighborhood.
Jadallah provided indispensable research for CPJ’s May 2023 report “Deadly Pattern,” which found a lack of accountability in Israeli military killings of 20 journalists over 22 years. Jadallah helped locate the families of journalists killed in Gaza and acquired their photos for CPJ’s report.
Jadallah was often described as “the godfather of Palestinian journalism”, because of his mentorship programs that helped many journalists in Gaza establish their careers.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said it believes Jadallah may have been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.
The Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said in a statement on November 24, 2023: “I deplore the death of Bilal Jadallah. The protection of journalists as civilians is a requirement under international law, including UN Security Council Resolution 2222/2015 on the protection of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in situations of conflict. I call for a full and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances of this tragedy.”
Press House-Palestine is a nonprofit organization established in 2014 to support the development of independent Palestinian media and promote freedom of expression and opinion, according to its website. It also owns Sawa News Agency. After the October 7 start of the Israel-Gaza war, Press House-Palestine assisted journalists with safety equipment and opened its offices to provide work spaces for journalists.