Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory / Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ calls for Israel to release journalists detained during Al-Shifa hospital raid

Beirut, March 22, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the journalists arrested at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City this week.  On Monday, March 18, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new offensive on the Al-Shifa hospital complex, arresting scores of Palestinians. An unspecified number of journalists, including…

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Witnesses: IDF assaulted, detained Al Jazeera journalist in hospital raid

Editor’s note: Journalist Ismail Al Ghoul was released by Israeli forces on Monday night after being held for almost 12 hours. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Al Ghoul recounted how he and several other journalists were assaulted by IDF soldiers, whom he said destroyed the journalists’ tent and damaged their equipment and press vehicles….

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CPJ urges protection for Israeli journalist threatened with death after accepting film award

Washington, D.C., February 29, 2024—Israeli authorities must ensure necessary protections for Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and his family, who were repeatedly threatened following criticism from high-level Israeli and German government officials.   Yuval Abraham, an Israeli film director and journalist with the independent news +972 Magazine, said on February 27 that he canceled his flight home…

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Leading news outlets affirm support for journalists in Gaza

Leaders of more than 30 news organizations around the world, including the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters, have joined an open letter on Thursday affirming that they “stand united with Palestinian journalists in their call for safety, protection, and the freedom to report.” The letter, coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) with…

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CPJ joins calls to UN to push for accountability in murder of Lebanese video journalist Issam Abdallah

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a combined 120 people and entities, including victims and their families, media outlets, press freedom groups, and human rights groups, in two letters calling on the United Nations to help provide accountability in the murder of Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by Israeli forces in south…

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Al-Jazeera journalist Ismail Abu Omar receives treatment in a hospital (left) after being severely injured (right) by an Israeli drone strike while reporting near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza on February 13, 2024.

Al-Jazeera reporter, cameraman, critically injured by Israeli drone strike in Rafah

Beirut, February 13, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by an Israeli drone strike in Gaza that seriously injured two Al-Jazeera journalists near the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and calls for an independent investigation into whether the reporters were targeted. Al-Jazeera Arabic reporter Ismail Abu Omar and freelance camera operator and…

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Canadian-Palestinian journalist disappears in Gaza; reports allege eyewitnesses saw IDF arrest

Update: On Tuesday, February 6, Mansour Shouman posted a new video from southern Gaza, saying he had been on the run for two weeks to avoid Israeli tanks and sniper fire.  Washington, D.C., January 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists expresses deep concerns over the reports that Canadian-Palestinian citizen journalist Mansour Shouman went missing on his way…

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CPJ, partners, call on EU to help journalists in Israel-Gaza war

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday joined 17 other partner organizations in sending a letter to Josep Borrell, the High Representative for the European Union on Foreign and Security Policy, urging him to call for press freedom and journalists’ rights to be respected during the Israel-Gaza war. The unprecedented killing of so many journalists…

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Palestinian journalists are being imprisoned by Israel in record numbers

In October, when the Israel-Gaza war began, Alaa al-Rimawi snapped into action, covering developments on J-Media, the West Bank-based news agency he directs, as well as on TikTok and Facebook. But his conflict coverage would be short-lived. Less than two weeks after the start of the war, Israel banned J-Media on security grounds and quickly…

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CPJ and partners call on President Biden to protect journalists in the Israel-Gaza war

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined five other press freedom and human rights organizations on Wednesday in calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to act immediately and decisively to promote the conditions for safe and unrestricted reporting amid hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups. The Israel-Gaza war has taken a severe toll on journalists…

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