Ramallah – 07/06/2025 The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the targeting of a group of journalists who were struck by an airstrike while gathered in the courtyard of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City today, Thursday, while performing their professional duty of conveying the truth.
The Israeli bombing resulted in the killing of three journalists: ISMAIL BADDAH, a cameraman for Palestine Today TV; SULEIMAN HAJJAJ, a reporter for the same channel; and SAMIR AL-RIFAI, a reporter for Shams News Agency.
Three other journalists were wounded to varying degrees: EMAD DALOUL, a reporter for Palestine Today TV; ISLAM BADR, a reporter for Al-Araby TV; and AHMAD QALAJA, a cameraman for the same channel.
This dangerous escalation comes as part of a systematic campaign against Palestinian journalists, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which clearly stipulate the protection of journalists as civilians—especially Article 79 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which affirms the protection of journalists during armed conflicts in their capacity as civilians.
We hold the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for this crime and for the continued targeting of journalists, despite their clear identification and presence in a designated press area. This reveals a deliberate intent to suppress the truth and prevent coverage of the violations against civilians in Gaza. It demands urgent action by international organizations concerned with freedom of expression, including United Nations bodies—most notably the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression—to launch an immediate and independent investigation into the crimes targeting journalists in Palestine, and to seriously work toward ending the prevailing culture of impunity.
MADA emphasizes that journalism is not a target, and calls on the international community to break its silence and provide immediate protection for Palestinian journalists, who face the risk of death at every moment while carrying out their mission.
