Ramallah – 6th July 2024. The month of June has witnessed an increase in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine compared to the preceding month, May, as the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms "MADA" has documented a total of sixty-one (61) violations, compared to a total of forty (40) violations documented during the preceding month, May. This increase is represented by 150%. The Israeli authorities committed all the documented violations, while no violations were documented by Palestinian entities or by social media.
The violations documented during the previous month were broken down as sixty (61) Israeli violations committed by the occupation authorities and settlers, thirty-four (34) thereof took place in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and twenty-seven (27) violations took place in Gaza Strip, compared to the only documented violation against a journalist in Gaza Strip committed by an American institution after an international award was revoked therefrom.
Israeli violations:
The number of Israeli violations against journalists and media freedoms during the month of June increased by 151% compared to the previous month. They increased from thirty-nine (39) crimes and attacks committed during the month of May to sixty-one (61). The Israeli violations constituted 98% of the total violations documented during the month.
As usual, most of the violations committed posed a great danger to the lives of journalists and media freedoms, foremost of which are the murders of journalists, which are still at the forefront of the scene since the seventh of October last year, where four (4) journalists were killed during June, while the number of martyrs of journalists reached one hundred fifty-two (152) since the beginning of the war on Gaza Strip.
Martyred journalists during the month of June
|
Journalist Name |
Date of Martyrdom |
Workplace |
|
|
1- |
ABDALLAH ALJAMAL |
8th June 2024 |
Media spokesman for the Ministry of Justice |
|
2- |
MAHMOUD IYAD QASIM |
11th June 2024 |
Palestine Newspaper |
|
3- |
SALEEM ALSHURAFA |
20th June 2024 |
Al-Aqsa TV |
|
4- |
MOHAMMED ABU SHARIA |
29th June 2024 |
Shams News |
Physical assaults ranked second in terms of their threat to the lives of journalists, as MADA documented a total of thirteen (13) physical assaults, five (5) of which took place in Gaza Strip, including the injury of journalist MOHAMED MUSTAFA with shrapnel from a rocket in the shoulder and leg that led to the loss of consciousness for several minutes while covering the events in Al-Maghazi camp, and the injury of freelance journalist SAFINAZ AL-LOUH in Nuseirat camp with shrapnel from a bomb in the left leg, as well as the injury of journalist AHMED AL-LOUH with burns and bruises in his feet, in addition to the injury of journalist IBRAHIM QANAN with shrapnel in his hand and journalist SULEIMAN HAJJI with shrapnel in the head during coverage in the Shakosh area, west of Rafah.
In Jerusalem, a settler put out a cigarette in the hands of Jerusalemite journalist SAIF AL-QAWASMI, who was arrested by police officers on the same day and interrogated, as well as journalist DIALA JUWAIHAN and journalist MALAK OROUK, while journalist MOHAMMED ABED RABBO, journalist RENAD AL-SHARABATI, and journalist LIWA ABU RMEILEH, were verbally assaulted.
MADA also documented sixteen (16) cases of preventing coverage in the West Bank, which affected the reporter of "Palestine Post" in the city of Hebron, the reporter of Al-Arabiya TV, BARAA ABU RAMUZ, and the journalist NISREEN SALEM in the city of Jerusalem. In Al Fara Camp, the occupation soldiers prevented a group of journalists from covering the storming of the camp, including journalist YAZAN HAMAYEL, the cameraman of "SIPA USA" NASSER SHTAYYEH, freelance journalist ALI SHTAYYEH, freelance journalist MOHAMMED ATEEQ, reporter of "Al-Jazeera" TV, LAITH JAAR, reporter of Quds News, ABDALLAH BAHSH, Reuters cameraman RANEEN SAWAFTA, Al-Alam TV reporter SHADIA BANI SHAMSA, freelance journalist SEDKI RAYAN, Roya TV cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI, and Palestine Post reporter MUJAHID TABANJA, in addition to TRT Haber crew in Jerusalem City.
The occupation soldiers targeted three (3) journalists in the West Bank and five (5) journalists in Gaza Strip to prevent them from covering various events, including the crew of Roya TV and journalist OBADA TAHAINA, who were targeted with gunfire during coverage in the village of "Kafr Dan" in the city of Jenin.
In Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces targeted with shells and bullets journalists IBRAHIM QANAN, HANI AL-SHAER, SULEIMAN HAJJI and MUHANNAD ABU HILAL, while Al-Jazeera reporter survived certain death while covering the Israeli aircraft bombing of "Al-Shujaiya" neighborhood.
During the past month, Israeli missiles bombed eight (8) houses of the journalists: MOHAMMED GHANEM, a journalist for the "Loved Malaysia" Foundation, MOATH AL-HAMS, a reporter for "Quds Press" Agency, ABDUL GHANI AL-SHAMI, and five (5) houses of two brothers' journalists: ABDUL RAHIM AL-KHATIB, a cameraman for the German DPA Agency, ABDUL RAHMAN, who works with the German DPA Agency, SAEED, who works with the French AP agency, and ISMAIL, who works for the UPA American Agency, and the freelance journalist AHMED.
occupation soldiers also threatened both Al-Fajr TV reporter MOHAMMED NAZZAL and freelance journalist HADI SABARNEH with shooting and killing if he did not leave the place while covering the storming of Qalqilya, and an Israeli intelligence officer threatened by phone the journalist with the Turkish "Anatolia" Agency, MAHMOUD SHALHA, and demanded that he stop working as a journalist in Gaza Strip and stop coverage immediately.
Separately, the International Women's Media Organization revoked the courage award from journalist MAHA AL-HUSSEINI about fourteen (14) days after awarding it due to an incitement campaign against her led by an American organization and Israeli activists.
The occupation authorities also arrested the journalist of WAFA Agency RASHA HERZ ALLAH after summoning her for investigation at Huwarah HQ", and the occupation intelligence renewed the administrative detention of the journalist ASMA HARISH for another three months, as she was arrested since the 3rd of April, and the occupation court confirmed her administrative detention on 18th April.
Details of violations:
(2nd June) Israeli forces arrested RASHA HERZ ALLAH after summoning her for interrogation at Huwara Police Station near Nablus City on Sunday, corresponding to the 2nd of June.
According to OSAMA HERZ ALLAH, the journalist's brother, the editor of WAFA News Agency RASHA HERZ ALLAH (thirty-nine 39 years old), received a phone call from an Israeli officer on Saturday, the 1st of June asking her to come to Beit El Interrogation Center for an interview. On Sunday morning (2nd of June) she went with a lawyer and her uncle, only to be detained hours later.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club, quoting its lawyer, said that journalist RASHA was interrogated on charges of incitement on social media, but she denied this charge and said that what she publishes comes within the scope of her journalistic work, although her detention was extended for seventy-two (72) hours.
On Thursday, corresponding to 6th June, the Israeli Military Court in Salem extended the journalist's detention for five (5) days to file an indictment against her against the background of what the occupation calls incitement on social media, and she was later transferred to the cells of "Hasharon" prison and then to "Damon" prison, where the majority of Palestinian women prisoners are held.
On Monday, corresponding to 24th June, the Israeli Military Court extended the detention of journalist RASHA until 11th August 2024.
(2nd June) A settler obstructed the work of journalist SHOROUQ ISSA and prevented her from covering the fires in a settlement near the town of Beit Ummar on Sunday morning, pointing his weapon at her and following her to move away.
According to the testimony of the reporter of "Palestine Post" Agency, SHOROUQ SUFYAN MAHMOUD ISSA, to the researcher of MADA Center, she went at about 11:45aM on Sunday to "Al-Dhahr" area, south of the town of "Beit Ummar" in the city of Hebron, to cover the fires that consumed citizens' lands near the settlement of "Carmei Tzur", which is built on citizens' land confiscated there.
After the journalist finished conducting interviews, she was at a close distance from the security fence, and one of the settlers approached her and the activist YOUSEF AL-ALAMI, who was with her, forcing them to leave the place so that they would not be shot, and the settler continued to chase them with weapons until they reached the houses of Palestinian citizens.
(3rd June) Israeli warplanes targeted the house of journalist MOHAMMED GHANEM in Al-Bureij Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip on Monday, killing his sister, her husband, and her daughter.
According to journalist MOHAMED GHANEM (thirty-one 31 years old), who works as a journalist for the "Loved Malaysia" Foundation, on Monday, 3rd June, he was sitting in his house in the "Bureij camp" in the central Gaza Strip, consisting of several floors, when he heard the sound of an Israeli drone "Quad Copter" flying low over the house, and after several minutes he heard a large explosion inside the house, and shrapnel began to scatter and rubble fell on those inside the house.
This shelling resulted in the martyrdom of his sister, her husband, and her daughter, who were displaced and came to take shelter in his house and his family house, while a number of other family members were injured and his apartment and other apartments were damaged, while he and his family survived the targeting.
(4th June) Freelance journalist MOHAMMED MUSTAFA was wounded on Monday evening by shrapnel from a shell in the left shoulder and right leg, while covering a military operation in Al-Maghazi Camp, and was transferred to Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital, where he underwent several surgeries.
According to freelance cameraman MOHAMMED FAYEK MUSTAFA, (twenty-eight 28 years old), who works for several channels and agencies such as Al Jazeera and Reuters, he was present at around 7:00PM on Tuesday east of Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip to cover the military operation in the eastern central governorate.
During the coverage, he saw dozens of injuries in front of him after the Israeli occupation forces fired strong fire belts before the start of the military operation in the camp, so he approached more than one of the targeted houses to document the injuries, where one of the shells hit the house where he was, which led to his injury with shrapnel in the left shoulder, right leg and palm of the hands, and the injury resulted in his loss of consciousness, and the loss of his mobile phone used in the coverage.
The cameraman was transported by ambulance to "Shuhada al-Aqsa" hospital in Deir al-Balah, in moderate condition, where he underwent several surgeries to extract shrapnel.
(5th June) Israeli police and settlers beat a number of journalists during the coverage of the "Flag March" in the Old City of Jerusalem and prevented a number of them from covering on Wednesday, corresponding to 5th June.
According to the investigations of the field researcher of MADA Center, the freelance journalist GHASSAN MOHAMMED ABU EID, who was covering for Brazilian television, was beaten by settlers in the Khan al-Zayt market area in the Old City of Jerusalem at about 2:00PM, where an Israeli policewoman approached him, shouted at him, beat him with her hand, and then pushed the camera towards his head, causing him a forehead injury.
The reporter of "Al-Asima" Network, SAIF AL-QAWASMI, was also subjected to extinguishing the cigarette in his hand by one of the settlers, while another attacked him with insults and spitting. He arrived at the Damascus Gate area from the inner side of the wall on the edge of the Old City, and there he was trapped in a corner, and the assault continued against him "with batons" on the head for several minutes, which led to his unconsciousness for several minutes, and the attack occurred in the presence of approximately twenty (20) police officers who remained watching the event for minutes before intervening to stop the attack. The journalist received field treatment by ambulance and was taken to the hospital but refused to leave the field to complete the coverage. At approximately 7:00PM, after the end of the march, while the journalist SAIF was turning off the cameras, a group of Israeli police officers went towards him informing him that an arrest warrant had been issued against him, and he was interrogated in the field in the Damascus Gate area on charges of incitement, and it turned out that the reason for the arrest was at the request of an extremist settler who reported the journalist SAIF and accused him of being a terrorist and hiding in the uniform of the press, and the journalist was released after about an hour and his mobile phone, personal identity card, and press equipment were returned to him.
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida cameraman DIALA JUWAIHAN and freelance journalist MALAK OROUK were beaten by settlers who tried to seize their phones and cameras.
The Israeli police also tried at approximately 11:00PM on the same day to obstruct the work of the two journalists, the reporter of Al-Arabiya TV BARAA ABU RAMUZ and the journalist NISREEN SALEM, by preventing them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and requiring the availability of a press card GPO, but this was only to obstruct the work, as they were able to enter later.
In the same context, a large group of Palestinian journalists was harassed by extremist settlers and the occupation police during an attempt to obstruct journalistic work by covering the cameras with their hands or assaulting them and stampeding to target cameras and prevent them from covering, including freelance journalist MOHAMMED ABED RABBO, journalist RENAD AL-SHARABATI and journalist LIWA ABU ARMILA.
(6th June) Over the telephone, Israeli intelligence threatened MAHMOUD SHALHA, a journalist working for the Turkish Anadolu Agency, to stop reporting in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to journalist MAHMOUD BARJAS SHALHA (twenty 20 years old), as he reported to MADA researcher, he received a phone call from a private number on his phone at about 4:00PM on Thursday corresponding to 6th June while performing his work, where the caller identified himself as an Israeli intelligence officer and demanded that the journalist stops his journalistic work, stops filming, and ends his press coverage immediately.
The caller confirmed that the intelligence services would pursue him and would be able to reach him if he did not stop covering, and the caller repeatedly insulted the journalist during the call and did not give him any opportunity to respond.
(7th June) Israeli warplanes bombed the house of the reporter of "Quds Press International" Agency, journalist ABDUL GHANI AL-SHAMI, with an artillery shell, wounding one of his sons and severely damaging the house.
According to journalist ABDUL GHANI MUSTAFA AL-SHAMI, (fifty 50 years old), to a MADA researcher, his house in Al-Sabra area in the southern Gaza Strip was hit by artillery shelling at approximately 11:00PM on Friday, where the journalist heard the sound of a large explosion as an artillery shell fell directly on the apartment while they were sleeping on the third floor of the building, where shrapnel and stones were scattered throughout the house, wounding one of his sons and causing significant damage to the house.
(8th June) Freelance journalist SAFINAZ AL-LOUH was lightly and moderately wounded when she and a group of civilians were targeted by an explosive bomb while covering the storming of the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip after midnight on Saturday.
According to the testimony of journalist SAFINAZ BAKR AL-LOUH (thirty-three 33 years old), who works "Al-Jazeera Live" for the researcher of MADA Center, she was present at about 12:20AM on Saturday in the "Nuseirat" Camp in the central Gaza Strip to cover the shelling resulting from the forward movement of Israeli vehicles towards the camp, where hundreds of camp residents fled from the shelling, and during the coverage, she was chased by an Israeli drone type "Quad Copter" with a group of citizens at the scene of the event and fired shots directly at them, and then an explosive bomb was thrown at them and the journalist was immediately hit by shrapnel in the left leg just below the knee, where she received treatment at Nuseirat Medical Clinic.
After the journalist went to her home in the camp, she was surprised when a special force of the occupation soldiers stormed her house, tampered with its contents, broke its furniture, and stole her laptop and press card.
(8th June) The occupation soldiers targeted Al-Jazeera field cameraman AHMED AL-LOUH on Saturday morning with a live shell that landed near his feet, causing burns and bruises to his feet and hands, and he was taken for treatment at Al-Awda Hospital.
According to AHMED BAKR AL-LOUH, a (thirty-nine 39-year-old field cameraman for Al-Jazeera, to a MADA researcher, he was at around 11:35AM, on Saturday near his house on Al-Dawa Street, north of the Nuseirat camp, where the occupation soldiers were conducting an operation, and the cameraman prepared his press equipment to cover the events.
During the coverage, the military jeeps approached the cameraman and fired dozens of shells, including a shell that fell near his foot, which led to his immediate injury to first and second-degree burns on the lower feet, as well as bruises to the feet and hands, and he was taken by ambulance to "Al-Awda" Hospital inside the camp.
In addition to his injury, the occupying forces raided his house inside the camp, destroyed part of his furniture, and confiscated his wife's phone before withdrawing.
(8th June) An Israeli F-16 warplane bombed the house of freelance journalist MOATH AL-HAMS in Yabna Refugee Camp in Rafah on Saturday evening, destroying the house but causing no injuries.
According to freelance journalist MOATH FATHI AL-HAMS, twenty-eight 28 years old, told MADA researcher, at around 9:00PM on Saturday, an Israeli F-16 warplane bombed his three-story house in Yabna refugee camp in Rafah, destroying it without causing injuries.
The journalist received the news of the bombing of his house while preparing and publishing the daily report of field events in the city.
(8th June) ABDALLAH ALJAMAL, Media Spokesman for the Ministry of Labor in Gaza Strip, was killed by Israeli special forces in Nuseirat on Monday morning.
According to investigations by a field researcher for MADA, journalist ABDALLAH ALJAMAL, thirty-six (36) years old, was killed at around 11:30AM, on Monday during a raid by an Israeli special force into his apartment in Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The journalist was directly wounded at zero distance by several bullets in the head and chest, which led to his martyrdom and the martyrdom of his wife and father, while his daughter ZAINAB was seriously injured and all of them were transferred to the "Al-Awda" Hospital in Nuseirat Camp.
(10th June) The Israeli occupation forces obstructed the work of the press crews and prevented them from covering the storming of "Al-Fara'a" Refugee Camp, south of Tubas governorate, on the morning of Monday, corresponding to 10th of June, chased them and threatened them with murder if they continued to cover.
According to the investigations of the field researcher of MADA, the free journalist YAZAN HISHAM HAMAYEL (24 years old) reported that the Israeli occupation forces launched a large-scale incursion into "Al-Fara'a" Camp at midnight on Sunday, corresponding to the 9th of June, with military bulldozers, and raided several houses and destroyed citizens' property, before withdrawing and returned to storm it again amid large military reinforcements.
On Monday morning, a group of journalists went to Al-Fara'a camp: SIPA USA cameraman NASSER SHTAYYEH (52 years old), freelance journalist ALI SHTAYYEH (37 years old), freelance journalist MOHAMMED ATEEQ (31 years old), Al-Jazeera reporter LAITH JAAR (27 years old), and Quds News Network reporter ABDULLAH BAHSH (24 years old), Reuters cameraman RANEEN SAWAFTA, Al-Alam TV reporter SHADIA BANI SHAMSA (24 years old), freelance journalist SIDQI RAYAN (23 years old), "Roya" TV cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI (39 years old), Palestine Post reporter MUJAHID TABANJA (25 years old). All journalists were present in the area of the southern end of Al-Fara'a camp, where they used to cover, and at first they started doing their work as usual.
After that, additional reinforcements came from the occupation forces, including a vehicle that began chasing journalists, then opened the loudspeaker to threaten them with murder, and returned them several meters towards the camp. The military jeep continued to chase journalists until it was able to collect them in one square, and through the loudspeaker everyone was asked not to film or else they would confiscate cameras and press equipment. Then they were threatened to shoot at those who remained in the area, and then the press crews left to another area overlooking the camp.
(11th June) An Israeli sniper targeted a group of journalists with gunfire while covering an occupation soldiers raid on the village of Kafr Dan in Jenin on Tuesday evening, but they were not harmed.
According to the investigations of the field researcher of MADA Center, the Israeli occupation forces raided the village of "Kafr Dan" in Jenin on Tuesday evening, surrounded a house and fired "Energa" shells at it. At about 7:15PM, Roya TV reporter HAFEZ MAHMOUD SABRA (34 years old) and cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI ISMAIL (39 years old), in addition to freelance journalist OBADA MOHAMED TAHAINA (23 years old) were present in the eastern part of the village of "Kafr Dan" to cover the military operation there, and they were all fully dressed in press uniforms.
The journalists stopped in an open area along the street leading to the village bakery, and the crew of "Roya TV" was in front at a location closer to a crossroads that ends with a slightly elevated building, where they later discovered an Israeli sniper in one of its windows, and within moments the journalists heard the sound of a bullet hitting the ground between their feet.
The journalists pulled straight from their post for fear of being retargeted, after a boy was targeted by a sniper's bullet about ten minutes later.
(11th June) Palestine Newspaper cameraman MAHMOUD IYAD QASSEM, thirty-two (32) years old, was killed when he was directly targeted by an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft while he was in the center of Gaza City.
According to the testimony of NADA HASSOUNA, the journalist's wife, to MADA researcher, an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft targeted the cameraman while he was near the aviation junction in the center of Gaza City, and he was hit all over his body, killing him instantly.
(13th June) Israeli occupation forces targeted journalist JARRAH KHALAF with live ammunition while conducting an interview with an ambulance officer in front of Jenin Governmental Hospital during their raid into Jenin city on Thursday.
According to the investigations of the field researcher of MADA Center, the journalist JARRAH WALID KHALAF, twenty-four (24) years old, was in Jenin to cover the incursion of the occupation forces into the city and its camp, and during an interview with an ambulance officer in front of Jenin Governmental Hospital about the occupation policy of obstructing medical staff, Israeli military jeeps fired directly at the journalist, but the bullets passed from between his feet and he immediately withdrew from the place.
(14th June) The Israeli police obstructed the work of freelance journalist NADINE JAAFAR and prevented her from covering Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite showing her press card.
In her testimony to MADA, freelance journalist NADINE JAAFAR stated that she was present at around 12:50PM, on Friday in the "Lions Gate – Bab Al-Asbat" area to cover Friday prayers from Al-Aqsa Mosque as usual.
As the assault on worshippers began and the attempt to prevent young citizens from entering the mosque courtyards, they started to remove journalists from the area, and one of the soldiers took NADINE outside, despite showing her press card and addressed her "Say hello to the loved ones”. The journalist did not understand what he meant, and she did not know if he meant a specific person or specific journalists.
(19th June) The Women's International Media Organization revoked the courage award from journalist MAHA AL-HUSSEINI about 14 days after it was awarded to her after an incitement campaign against her led by an American organization and Israeli activists.
According to MAHA NAZIH AL-HUSSEINI, thirty-two (32) years old, Director of Strategies at the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the US-based Women’s International Media Organization awarded her the Courage Award on the tenth of June for her courage in covering the war on the Gaza Strip.
However, on Wednesday evening, 19th June, she was surprised by an incitement campaign against her on social media led by an American organization and Israeli activists calling on the Women's International Media Organization to revoke the award granted to the journalist for her position on the Israeli occupation.
The next morning, the Organization justified its position by stating that during the review it found that the journalist had previously published posts in support of the Palestinian cause, as well as tweets against the Israeli occupation for committing ethnic cleansing and genocide during its war on Gaza Strip.
(20th June) The presenter of the programs in "Al-Aqsa TV" journalist SALIM AL-SHORAFA was killed as a result of shrapnel injury in the chest due to bombing his house in "Al-Jalaa" Street in the center of Gaza City,
According to OMAR AL-ZAZA, a neighbor of the journalist to MADA's researcher, SALIM MOHAMED AL-SHARAFA, a 38-year-old TV producer and presenter, was killed at around 7:40PM on Thursday while he was at his house on Al-Jalaa Street in central Gaza City.
AL-ZAZA had heard the sound of violent explosions in the place, which turned out to be artillery shells of the Israeli army stationed on the outskirts of the eastern border of the city, as one of them fell in the vicinity of the house of the journalist AL-SHORAFA who was sitting at the entrance to the house, which led to his injury with shrapnel in the chest, resulting in serious injuries, and he was taken by ambulance to the Baptist Hospital to announce his death.
(22nd June) Israeli occupation forces threatened journalists MOHAMMED NAZZAL and HADI SABARNEH with shooting and killing while covering the raid on Qalqilya on Saturday morning following the killing of a settler in the city.
According to the investigations of the field researcher of MADA, the Israeli occupation forces raided the city of Qalqilya on the morning of Saturday, 22nd June, after announcing that a settler was killed inside the city and his vehicle was burned. At 9:30AM, the reporter of Al-Fajr TV, MOHAMMED AHMED NAZZAL (27 years old), and the freelance cameraman HADI SABARNEH BAARAN (26 years old) were present in the "Sufin" neighborhood, where the occupation mechanisms were present, and during their coverage, a group of the army threatened to kill them and shoot them directly if they did not leave the place.
Journalist MOHAMMED NAZZAL had told the soldiers more than once that they were journalists, but the soldiers insisted that the journalists leave under the threat of gunfire, forcing them to move to another side away from the army to continue coverage.
(23rd June) The Israeli occupation police prevented freelance journalist IBRAHIM AL-SINJLAWI from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday evening to film Maghrib prayers, and the policeman beat him when he tried to enter through another door.
According to a testimony by freelance journalist IBRAHIM AL-SINJLAWI to a researcher at MADA Center, he tried on Sunday evening to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque through the door of Al-Silsilah Gate, to film the atmosphere of Maghrib prayers there. At 07:55PM, an Israeli policeman suddenly told him that he was forbidden to enter the mosque, and when he asked him why, he replied that he was a "suspect of public disturbance" despite showing his press card.
A few minutes later, the journalist returned to the western side of "Al-Qattanin" Gate trying to enter the mosque, and the policeman spoke to him angrily because he tried to enter again through another door after the first ban, and asked him for his identity card, filmed him, hit him with his hand on the stomach, asked him to leave, and told him that he would not be able to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.
( /June) Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building and the house of five journalists' brothers in the city of Rafah in the third week of June 2024 during the military operation in the city.
Journalist ABDUL RAHIM MOHAMMED AL-KHATIB, who works as a photojournalist for the German Agency DPA, told MADA researcher that he and his four brothers, journalists ABDUL RAHMAN, SAEED, ISMAIL and AHMED were surprised by photos and videos shared on social media showing the destruction of the residential building in the vicinity of the "Burqa" stadium in the "Shaboura" camp in the center of Rafah. All the siblings live in the seven-story building.
Journalist ABDUL RAHIM AL-KHATIB said that he and his journalist brothers (ABDUL RAHMAN, who works with the German Agency DPA, SAEED, who works with the French Agency AP, ISMAIL, who works for the American Agency UPA, and freelance journalist AHMED) left the city of Rafah after the intensification of the air strikes by the Israeli army planes on the city, displaced to areas outside it, and thus left their houses until they received the news of its bombing and destruction while they were in the field, while it is difficult for them to reach it due to the presence of Israeli forces in its vicinity after the city turned into a military barracks that are are off-limits.
(27th June) Israeli occupying forces raided the headquarters of the Palestinian Advertising Company in Al-Fawwar Refugee Camp, south of Hebron, tampering with its equipment and damaging some of it at dawn on Thursday.
According to the testimony of YAZAN IMAD AL-DHIBA, owner of the printing press, the Israeli occupation forces raided the headquarters of the Palestinian Media Company in Al-Fawwar Refugee Camp at approximately 4:30AM on Thursday. The soldiers broke down the main door, raided the printing press, tampered with its contents and threw it to the ground. They intentionally destroyed four printers and tampered with computers used for advertising designs.
The force withdrew from the company at around 5:00AM, without confiscating any of its equipment and without allowing the owner to enter it while they were there.
(27th June) Journalist ISMAIL AL-GHOUL escaped certain death as shrapnel scattered near him while covering Israeli warplanes' bombing of homes in the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City on Thursday afternoon.
During his testimony to MADA Center researcher, Al-Jazeera reporter ISMAIL MAHER AL-GHOUL, twenty-seven (27) years old, reported that he was present at about 11:20AM, on Thursday in the "Shujaiya" neighborhood, east of Gaza City, to cover the Israeli air strikes that targeted the neighborhood's houses.
The journalist began the coverage fully dressed in the press uniform immediately after the shelling began, during which a shell hit the roof of one of the houses next to which he was standing, scattering shrapnel and one of them fell a meter away, but he was not injured and escaped certain death.
(28th June) The Israeli occupation police prevented the TRT HABER crew from covering Friday prayers in Jerusalem, obstructed their work and forced them to leave.
The crew of TRT Haber (MUJAHID IDMIR, a 34-year-old Turkish national living in Jerusalem) and fellow cameraman OMAR AWAD, accompanied by a group of independent journalists and other news agencies, went to the Lions Gate/Bab Al-Asbat area at 10:00AM on Friday to cover the prayers. They were present at the nearest point to the gate on the outside of the fence, where the Israeli occupation forces set up a checkpoint to search those heading to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation police were preventing citizens from entering Al-Aqsa for no reason, and during the coverage - and the TRT crew was about 20 meters away from the police officers - one of the soldiers went to the TRT crew members and asked them to change their parking place, pointing to another area next to the fence, but the cameraman OMAR said that filming from there is difficult and does not show the place as it should, the soldier refused again and said, "Then leave, I will not allow you to film" trying to push MUJAHID and the camera, and when they accepted to change their location, the policeman refused to do so: "I'm not going to let you stand anywhere, even there," he said, forcing them outside.
(29th June) The occupation soldiers targeted four journalists by firing shots and shells at them and surrounding them while they were west of Rafah to prepare press reports, wounding two of them on Saturday afternoon.
According to the testimony of the reporter of "Al-Ghad" TV, IBRAHIM QANAN, went around 12:30PM on Saturday along with the (eporter of "Al-Jazeera" journalist HANI AL-SHAER, freelance journalist SULEIMAN HAJJI, and freelance cameraman MUHANNAD ABU HILAL) wearing full press uniforms to prepare press reports on the destruction caused to the area of "Shakosh" west of Rafah after the exit of Israeli tanks therefrom, but they were surprised during the coverage by the progress of new tanks, where shots and shells were fired directly at them and surrounded them for more than an hour and a half.
As a result, the journalist was injured with bruises to both the right and left hands, while the journalist SULEIMAN was wounded in the head by shrapnel from shells while trying to escape from the place, and the soldiers continued to chase and shoot them as they tried to take cover behind the trees, and the injured journalists went to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis for treatment.
(29th June) Journalist MOHAMMED ABU SHARIA was killed when he was seriously wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli missile fired from a drone near his house that hit the brain directly on Sunday.
According to the testimony of the Director of "Shams News" Agency, MOHAMMED AL-SIQALY, to the researcher of MADA, the editor-in-chief of "Shams News" Agency, MOHAMMED MAHMOUD ABU SHARIA (30 years old), was killed at about 09:00AM in the morning on the first Monday of July due to serious wounds that he sustained at 10:30AM on Sunday, corresponding to 30th June, resulting from shrapnel of a missile fired from a drone near his home, where the shrapnel hit the brain and removed it from its place.
The journalist arrived at the "Baptist" Hospital via a civilian car in very serious condition, and then he was transferred by ambulance to the "Indonesian" Hospital and remained in the intensive care unit until he was declared dead.
