I was a journalist in Gaza. The place I call home is gone now.
I was 13 when my father moved our family from Libya back to my parents’ hometown of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. It was 1994, a time of optimism. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization had signed the Oslo Accords and Palestinians were heading toward an independent state. Gaza, with its successful businesspeople and its…
FAQ: How CPJ documents journalist deaths in the war
How many journalists have died since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7? Dozens have died; see an updated list here. How do these numbers compare to prior conflicts? There have been more journalists killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than in any other similar period of conflict since CPJ started recording such deaths in…
Q&A: Journalist Shrouq Al Aila on what cameras can’t show about the war in Gaza
Gaza journalists Shrouq Al Aila and Roshdi Sarraj were on a work trip in Saudi Arabia last fall when their home became a war zone. The married couple quickly returned to Gaza to report and to be with their community. But Sarraj, the founder of local production company Ain Media, would only manage to produce…
Syrian student journalist Atia Abu Salem on hunger strike in Jordanian prison
Istanbul, May 22, 2024—Jordanian authorities must immediately release Syrian student journalist Atia Abu Salem, revoke the deportation order against him, and stop censoring members of the press because of their reporting on the Israel-Gaza war, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 9, Jordanian security forces arrested Abu Salem, a Syrian student at…
Israeli authorities confiscate AP equipment broadcasting live feed of Gaza
Update: AP reported that Israeli authorities said they would return the equipment after widespread backlash from press freedom advocates and a White House request. The live feed was restored Wednesday morning. Beirut, May 21, 2024 — Israeli authorities must return the equipment they confiscated from The Associated Press in southern Israel and stop harassing and censoring journalists covering…
Palestinian journalist Rula Hassanein charged with incitement for social media posts
New York, May 8, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday urged Israeli authorities to release Palestinian freelance journalist Rula Hassanein on humanitarian grounds as her health and that of her infant daughter had deteriorated since Hassanein’s March arrest over her social media posts. On March 19, Israeli military forces arrested Hassanein, who…
Why impact of Israel-Gaza war has become harder to document
Israel’s surprise attack on Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza on March 18, and the two weeks of fighting that followed, resulted in hundreds of deaths and a trail of destruction. It also left a morass of contradictory information about exactly who was killed there, who was arrested, and who went missing. As the Israel-Gaza war…
CPJ condemns Israeli vote to shut down Al Jazeera; warns of alarming precedent
Beirut, May 5, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Israeli cabinet’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel and warns that the vote could set a dangerous precedent for other international media outlets working in Israel. The cabinet vote on Sunday, announced by the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, came after Israel’s…
CPJ, others decry criminal charges against Texas photojournalist Carlos Sanchez
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 40 journalism and civil society organizations in urging Texas authorities to decline prosecution of the criminal charges levied against FOX 7 Austin photojournalist Carlos Sanchez. Law enforcement officers arrested Sanchez while he was covering a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of Texas at Austin campus on April 24, 2024….
Texas police detain, charge FOX 7 Austin journalist covering pro-Palestinian protest
New York, April 25, 2024 — Texas authorities should immediately drop all charges against a FOX 7 Austin journalist detained while covering a pro-Palestinian protest and take steps to ensure journalists can do their jobs safely and without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Law enforcement officers arrested a FOX 7 Austin photographer…