Middle East & North Africa

  

Israeli forces fire tear gas, point lasers at journalists, raid office in West Bank 

Beirut, October 26, 2026 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the violations committed against journalists during the raid by the Israel Defense Forces on the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Incidents included wounding a journalist, briefly detaining reporters, firing tear gas at journalists, and targeting press gathering areas with lasers. …

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Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Cairo-based online newspaper Mada Masr, gives an interview with AFP in the capital Cairo on December 28, 2020.

‘Who’s next?’: Inside Egypt’s unprecedented crackdown on the press

The referral of independent outlet Mada Masr’s editor-in-chief Lina Attalah to trial, alongside the recent detention of an entire newsroom and the targeting of independent journalists, signals an escalating campaign to silence Egypt’s remaining independent media. In the space of a single month, Egyptian authorities detained all six journalists at the investigative and fact-checking platform…

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Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Cairo-based online newspaper Mada Masr, gives an interview with AFP in the capital Cairo on December 28, 2020.

CPJ, partners condemn referral of Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah to trial

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Friday in condemning the referral to trial of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian outlet Mada Masr. The case is the latest escalation in Egypt’s crackdown on the press, which has included the arrest of all six Egypt-based journalists working for investigative platform Matsdaash and…

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CPJ highlights role of transnational networks in fueling attacks on journalists in Sudan

New York, October 21, 2026 – The Committee to Protect Journalists submitted testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission ahead of its October 21 briefing on transnational networks fueling the war in Sudan, highlighting how foreign weapons, financing, personnel, and logistical support sustain armed actors responsible for killing, detaining, and otherwise targeting journalists. CPJ’s…

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American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine lies on a gurney in a hospital emergency room in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah, after being attacked by Israeli settlers while photographing Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives on October 16.

CPJ to Israel: Investigate assault on Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine

The Committee to Protect Journalists has written to Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, demanding a criminal investigation into October 16’s violent assault on Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine while covering the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. Levine was assaulted by masked settlers despite wearing a clearly marked “Press” vest….

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Living in the U.S. since 2016, Jorjandi is the founder of Webamooz, an independent outlet covering cybercrime and online financial fraud for Persian-speaking audiences. (Photo: Mohammad Jorjandi)

CPJ condemns digital harassment of Iranian investigative journalist Mohammad Jorjandi

Miami, October 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the digital harassment and doxxing of exiled Iranian investigative journalist and cybersecurity expert Mohammad Jorjandi and his family. Living in the U.S. since 2016, Jorjandi is the founder of Webamooz, an independent outlet covering cybercrime and online financial fraud for Persian-speaking audiences, with selected investigations in…

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American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine lies on a gurney in the emergency room of the government hospital in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah, as she is treated after being attacked by Israeli settlers while photographing Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives, in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah on October 16, 2026.

American photojournalist Heidi Levine attacked by Israeli settlers in West Bank

Beirut, October 16, 2026 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Friday Israeli settler attack on American journalist Heidi Levine, which wounded her while she was covering the olive harvest in Abu Fallah, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Speaking to CPJ from her hospital bed, Levine, who is a freelancer…

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A view of Al Jazeera offices in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 5, 2024. A Citizen Lab report, released on October 15, 2026, says an Israeli company called Discover-Tech facilitated the targeting of at least 45 Al Jazeera devices with spyware in 2024 and 2025. (Photo: AFP/Zain Jaafar)

Report: Israeli ad-tech firm enables spyware targeting of at least 45 Al Jazeera devices

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli and other relevant authorities to investigate and hold to account those responsible for reportedly infecting Al Jazeera news network devices with spyware delivered via online ads, and on governments and corporations to act urgently to ensure advertising no longer enables targeted surveillance. “The mass surveillance architecture supporting…

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CPJ demands Israel halt escalating violations against journalists

Beirut, October 13, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by a recent wave of violations committed by Israeli authorities against the press in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Recent incidents include a local reporter shot with rubber bullets, a Portuguese journalist detained and deported, and the barring of German and…

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‘I do not feel safe’: The cost of 3 years of Israeli impunity for journalists in Lebanon

When visual journalist Ahmed Chihadeh came under Israeli fire in January 2025 while covering the return of displaced residents to the southern Lebanese town of Houla, he removed his “Press” vest and hid his camera. “After what happened to my colleagues, and after seeing that there has still been no justice for those who were…

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