Ramallah – May 3^rd, 2024. The month of April 2024 witnessed a decline in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine, as the “MADA” Center monitored and documented a total of 35 attacks, compared to a total of 63 attacks recorded during the previous month of March.

The attacks recorded during last April were limited to Israeli attacks and those committed by Palestinian parties in the West Bank, as no violations attributed to social media companies and networks were documented.

Israeli Violations:

The number of documented Israeli violations during the month of February decreased by 30 points compared to the previous month, as the extent of a total of 30 attacks committed by the occupation forces and authorities was documented, representing 86% of the total violations for the month.

Most of the Israeli violations committed during the past month fall within the types that threaten the lives of journalists, most notably the killing of four journalists in the Gaza Strip as a result of the continuation of the war against the Strip since October 7^th, 2023. Followed in terms of number and seriousness by the physical injuries that appear in the victims’ testimonies and the circumstances in which soldiers deliberately targeted journalists to keep them away from covering field events, as the Turkish TRT Agency photographer SAMI SHEHADEH was injured in the Gaza Strip by a shell in his leg, which led to its immediate amputation, in addition to being injured by fragments in his right arm while covering in the Gaza Strip. On the same day, a CNN cameraman was injured by fragments of another shell in both hands. In addition to the assault on the freelance journalist AHMED JALAJEL, by beating him with a baton in the city of Jerusalem on his chest and leg, and the assault on journalist NADINE JAAFAR from the “Alasima News Network” by hitting her on the shoulder with a baton while covering events in the city of Jerusalem. Police officers also severely beat photojournalist SAIF AL-QAWASMI while he was in Al-Aqsa courtyards, before he was arrested and banished from Al-Aqsa Mosque twice.

The occupation forces also arrested journalist HAMZA MAHMOUD KHADER and sentenced him to one month in prison on the pretext of being in Al-Aqsa Mosque without a permit. They also arrested the freelance journalist ASMAA HARISH from the town of Beitunia and transferred her to administrative detention for 3 months.

The occupation forces detained Palestine TV cameraman AHMED HAMIDAT in the town of Bani Naim in the city of Hebron, under the pretext of not wearing a journalistic uniform. The occupation soldiers also detained journalist AMER AL-SHALOUDI and journalist TARIQ KHAMAYSA and deleted the filmed materials from his camera, in addition to the detention of the Al Jazeera channel crew while they were between the town of Jayyus and Al-Nabi Elias for about a third of an hour.

A military jeep attacked the car of Al-Jazeera correspondent LAITH JAAR, causing it to be damaged. The occupation soldiers also targeted journalists MOHAMMED TURKMAN and journalist MOHAMMED AWAD to prevent them from covering the events in the town of Al-Mughair. They also prevented the Al-Ghad Al-Arabi crew, Al-Jazeera crew, and Al-Jazeera photographer from covering the demolition of two houses in the town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron.

The occupation intelligence renewed the administrative detention of the prisoner, journalist MUSTAFA AL-KHAWAJA, from the town of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah, for a period of 6 months. The occupation authorities also renewed the administrative detention of the journalist and student at Birzeit University, HATEM HAMDAN, for a period of 4 months.

Palestinian Violations:

Palestinian violations witnessed a slight increase during the month of April, as a total of five violations occurred in the West Bank, representing 14% of all documented violations, compared to three Palestinian violations documented during the previous month of March.

These violations were limited to the Military Intelligence Service arresting journalist KHALIL DHUWAIB and releasing him after six days, the Preventive Security Organization arresting the student at Al-Quds Open University, IBRAHIM SABARNEH, and confiscating two computers from his home, and journalist LAITH JAAR being threatened with death and shooting by Palestinian security personnel. The Ramallah Magistrate Court also sentenced journalist FIRAS TANINA to 90 days in prison in absentia on the basis of a complaint he had filed against the Prime Minister’s Office in 2018.

Martyr Journalists during the Month of March

#	Journalist Name	Martyrdom Date	Work Agency
	TARIQ AL-SAYED ABU SAKHIL	04/04/2024	Quds Radio
	AMNA HAMEED	24/04/2024	Khansa Center
	MOHAMMED BASSAM AL-JAMAL	25/04/2024	Palestine Times Agency
	SALEM ABU TAYUR	29/04/2024	Journalist

Read More