Ramallah — 3ed June 2026 The number of violations committed against media freedoms in Palestine during the past month of May has increased. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored and documented a total of 54 (fifty-four) violations, compared to a total of 29 (twenty-nine) violations documented during the preceding month of April, a rise of 86% (eighty-six percent).
This increase comes in the context of events and activities witnessed in several Palestinian cities, which resulted in journalists and media outlets being subjected to Israeli attacks during their coverage of peaceful Palestinian activities, the scope of which expanded relatively this month compared to the previous one.
The frequency of occupation forces' attacks against journalists in the city of Hebron, and their prevention of journalists from covering the weekly marches organized by settlers in the Old City, intensified, in addition to other violations to which journalists were subjected across various cities.
The violations that occurred in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during May were distributed as follows: 46 (forty-six) violations committed by Israeli parties, and 7 (seven) violations committed by Palestinian parties in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
It is worth noting that the management of the Premier League suspended sports journalist IBRAHIM KHADRA from the Gaza Strip and prevented him from continuing his coverage of league matches, in response to Israeli incitement against him.
Israeli Violations
The number of Israeli violations during May rose by 92% (ninety-two percent) compared to the previous month, increasing from 24 (twenty-four) violations committed during April to 46 (forty-six) violations during the past month of May. Israeli violations accounted for 85% (eighty-five percent) of the total violations for the month, and the majority were classified among the serious violations against media freedoms in Palestine. Prevention of coverage constituted the largest category, with 28 (twenty-eight) violations, most of which occurred in the city of Hebron. Occupation forces also targeted 4 (four) journalists with live ammunition, sound bombs, and tear gas to prevent them from covering the storming of the “Qalandiya” camp north of occupied Jerusalem.
Occupation soldiers assaulted a member of the media crew of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, beating and dragging him. Two (2) journalists working for "Al-Aqsa Satellite Channel" were also wounded by bullet shrapnel fired indiscriminately by occupation soldiers at the tent in which they were working in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip. In addition, a cameraman from Al-Azhar University sustained suffocation and breathing difficulty, along with moderate wounds to both feet, in a strike that targeted the vicinity of his home in the center of Gaza City.
Occupation forces arrested journalist ISLAM AL-AMARANEH after raiding her home in the Dheisheh camp south of Bethlehem and also arrested freelance journalist ANAS HAWWARI from his home in the town of "Sebastia" north of Nablus, taking him to an undisclosed location.
In a related context, banishment orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque continued to pursue Jerusalem-based journalists. During the past month, 3 (three) banishment orders were issued against journalists in Jerusalem, barring them from Al-Aqsa Mosque and from covering events there. Occupation aircraft also bombed and completely or partially destroyed the homes of 2 (two) journalists, one male and one female.
On the other hand, the occupation authorities released journalist ALI SAMMOUDI from the city of Jenin on the 1st of May, after a year of detention, and on the 15th of May released photojournalist HAMZA AL-JABER from the town of "Jaba'" south of Jenin after 2 (two) years of detention.
Palestinian Violations
Violations committed by Palestinian authorities accounted for 13% (thirteen percent) of the total documented violations during May, reaching 7 (seven) violations compared to 3 (three) that occurred during the preceding month of April.
The Palestinian violations, 2 (two) of which occurred in the West Bank, affected 4 (four) journalists. The Palestinian General Intelligence (GI) in the city of Tubas summoned freelance journalist MUATH GHANNAM twice during the month and interrogated him about his journalistic work and media activity, focusing in particular on his proficiency in the Hebrew language and whether he publishes or translates material in Hebrew.
In the Gaza Strip, GHASSAN AL-THAHEINI, a senior figure in the Rafah militias collaborating with the occupation, incited against journalist NOUR AL-NAJJAR through a post on his personal Facebook page, seeking to prevent her from traveling in the future.
Additionally, a member of the occupation-backed militias operating east of Gaza, identified as SHAWQI ABU NASIRA, incited against investigative journalists HUDA BAROUD and her husband journalist MOHAMMAD OTHMAN by publishing their photographs and directly threatening them with targeting and physical elimination due to their coverage of armed groups operating under the occupation’s administration east of Gaza.
Details of Violations:
(2nd May) 2 (two) journalists working for "Al-Aqsa Satellite Channel" were wounded by bullet shrapnel fired indiscriminately by occupation soldiers at the tent in which they were working in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Saturday afternoon.
According to the account given to MADA by photojournalist ISLAM MANSOUR (40 [forty] years old) of "Al-Aqsa Satellite Channel," at approximately 2:00PM on Saturday he was present with his colleague MOHSEN AL-AZAZZI (45 [forty-five] years old), who works for the same channel, in their work tent in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
During their work, an explosive bullet fired by Israeli military vehicles positioned east of the city of "Deir al-Balah" struck the roof of the tent, and shrapnel scattered throughout the space, causing journalist ISLAM MANSOUR to sustain wounds to his left hand, while his colleague MOHSEN AL-AZZAWI sustained wounds to the right side of his back. Both journalists were transferred to the emergency department inside the hospital, where their wounds were described as minor.
(2nd May) Occupation forces prevented a group of photojournalists from covering the settlers’ weekly march in the Old City of Hebron on Thursday evening, obstructed their work, and removed them from the area, forcing them to leave.
According to the account given to MADA by freelance journalist AMER AL-SHALODI, at approximately 5:00PM on Thursday he proceeded, along with freelance journalist LUAY ASHRAF AL-SAEED, Anadolu Agency cameraman WISSAM ABD AL-HAFIZ AL-HASHLAMOUN, and Reuters cameraman MOUSSA AL-QAWASMEH, to the Old City of Hebron to cover the weekly march carried out by settlers in the Old City of the city.
While the journalists were present for coverage, occupation soldiers began spreading through the roads and alleyways in tandem with the arrival of the settlers and proceeded to remove the journalists from the area to prevent coverage.
The soldiers continued to pursue the journalists until they stopped them at a distant location from which visibility had become impossible, forcing them to leave the site.
(3rd May) Occupation forces arrested freelance journalist ISLAM ABD AL-MAJID AL-AMARANEH from her home in the “Dheisheh” camp south of Bethlehem in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She was brought before a court several days after her arrest, with the detention being extended on multiple occasions to complete the investigation.
According to the account given to MADA by journalist MUATH AMARANEH, her cousin, occupation forces stormed the home of journalist ISLAM’s family in the “Dheisheh” camp southeast of Bethlehem at approximately 3:30AM on Tuesday, with members of the unit raiding the home after forcing open the front door.
The soldiers held the family members in a single room before informing them of the decision to arrest their daughter, the journalist. At approximately 4:30AM, the unit left the home and the journalist was taken to an undisclosed location.
On Wednesday, 4th May, the journalist’s detention was extended pending her appearance before the court on 7th May. On that date, the detention was extended again until 12th May to complete the investigation. The second extension period ended on 19th May.
On Tuesday, 19th May, the journalist was brought before a military court, which extended her detention by 6 (six) days, ending on 24th May. Upon the expiry of that period, the journalist was again brought before the court and her detention was extended by an additional 8 (eight) days, ending on the 1st of June.
She is currently held at the “Ashkelon” Detention Facility inside the occupied territories, and as of the time of this report, no indictment has been filed by the military prosecution.
(5th May) Occupation police issued on Tuesday morning a decision to banish journalist RAMI AL-KHATIB from Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of 6 (six) months, delivered via a text message sent to his phone through the instant messaging application “WhatsApp”.
In his account to MADA, journalist RAMI MAHFOUZ AL-KHATIB, an employee of the Media Department of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, stated that at exactly 10:00AM on Tuesday he received a message via the “WhatsApp” instant messaging application informing him of his banishment from Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of 6 (six) months, ending on 23rd Oct. 2026.
The journalist had previously received a call on 23rd April 2026 from occupation police requiring him to appear at the Qishle Interrogation Center in Jerusalem, where he was informed of a decision to banish him from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 1 (one) week with no further details. Three (3) days after receiving the banishment order, on 26th April, he received a phone call from police forces to appear at their headquarters in the Beit Yahav area, where he was interrogated about his social relations and journalistic work, after which he was released.
(9th May) Occupation soldiers prevented a group of journalists from covering the settlers’ weekly march in the Old City of Hebron on Saturday afternoon, obstructing their work by halting the live broadcast of the Al-Ghad TV crew and forcing the journalists to move away from the area.
According to the account given to MADA by freelance journalist AMER AL-SHALODI, at approximately 3:00PM on Saturday he proceeded, together with Al-Ghad TV reporter RAED AL-SHREIF and cameraman JAMIL SALLAB, Anadolu Agency cameraman WISSAM AL-HASHLAMOUN, Reuters cameraman MOUSSA AL-QAWASMEH, and independent journalists SARI JARADAT, YASSER THALJI, and MUSAB ABD AL-SAMAD SHAWER, to the Old City of Hebron to cover the settlers’ weekly march.
As soon as the settlers exited through the gate of the Ibrahimi Mosque, occupation soldiers spread across the road, preventing the press crews from being present in the area and from providing coverage. The soldiers halted Al-Ghad TV’s live broadcast, prevented the remaining journalists from filming, and forced them to move away. They also confined them in one of the side streets and blocked the road to prevent filming and press coverage.
(9th May) Occupation soldiers detained Radio Karama reporter inside a home in the Tel Ma'een area in the city of Yatta, south of Hebron, on Saturday evening for half an hour, preventing him from covering the presence of settlers in the area.
According to the account given to MADA by Radio Karama reporter SALMAN ABU ARAM, at approximately 9:00PM on Saturday he proceeded to the Tel Ma'een area east of the city of Yatta in Hebron to cover the presence of a group of settlers in the vicinity of a home.
While journalist ABU ARAM was conducting coverage, occupation forces arrived in the area, surrounded those present, and forced them to enter a home, where they were detained, the journalist among them.
The journalist attempted to speak to the soldiers, but they refused. He remained detained for half an hour, during which he was prevented from providing press coverage, until the soldiers permitted him to leave at 10:00PM.
(11th May) Israeli occupation forces targeted journalists and media crews with live ammunition, tear gas, and sound bombs during the coverage of the storming of Qalandiya camp north of occupied Jerusalem, pursuing them, obstructing their work, and forcing them back more than 600 (six hundred) meters from the scene to prevent coverage.
In his account to MADA, Al-Araby TV reporter FADI AL-ASSA stated that the television crew, comprising the reporter and photojournalist HADI SABARNEH, was present with a group of journalists, including journalist MUTASSIM SAQF AL-HEIT, photojournalist ISSAM AL-RIMAWI, and cameraman MOHAMMAD AWAD, to cover the storming of Qalandiya camp. Soldiers began firing live ammunition and sound bombs during their wide deployment around the camp and the main adjacent street.
During the storming, Israeli forces directly targeted the journalists with tear gas and sound bombs while they were near the vocational training institute opposite the camp to cover events, at a time when a number of young men were being detained inside the institute, in order to prevent coverage, causing the journalists to suffer suffocation from the gas. Soldiers then defined a restricted perimeter for the journalists’ movement before pushing them hundreds of meters from the scene under threat.
Despite the journalists’ compliance with those boundaries, the soldiers directly fired tear gas canisters at them, causing confusion and posing a direct threat to their lives during a live broadcast, one of the canisters landing near them while coverage was live on air, with soldiers continuing to pursue them, forcing them to withdraw approximately 400–600 (four hundred to six hundred) meters from the coverage site, with no field justification warranting such removal.
At one point, soldiers attempted to seize the camera from the Al-Araby TV crew, but the crew continued to retreat and move away from the area to protect its safety amid the continuing fire of canisters and field pressure.
The soldiers continued firing canisters and pursuing the journalists for approximately 3 (three) hours, resulting in continuous and unjustified targeting of journalists while performing their professional duties.
(12th May) The occupation army renewed the closure order on the Al-Jazeera channel’s office in the West Bank for the 13th (thirteenth) time in the early hours of Tuesday morning, as soldiers stormed the building housing the office in central Ramallah and affixed the order to the door.
According to the account given to MADA by Al-Jazeera Office Chief WALID AL-OMARI, occupation forces stormed the Al-Jazeera office in central Ramallah at approximately 1:00AM on Tuesday and affixed a closure extension order, bearing the number 13 (thirteen), to the door of the office located in the City Centre building. The closure was extended under this order for a period of 90 (ninety) days, ending on the 5th of August.
The renewal came on the same grounds as before, namely the Emergency Regulations imposed by the British Mandate on Palestine in 1945.
Israeli forces had previously stormed the Al-Jazeera office in Ramallah on 22 September 2024, closing it after blowing up the iron gate of the building, then handing bureau chief WALID AL-OMARI a military order to close the office for 45 (forty-five) days, an order that has been renewed with each expiry, in addition to the confiscation of all equipment, documents, cameras, and broadcasting gear via large trucks.
(12th May) The General Intelligence in Tubas summoned journalist MUATH GHANNAM on Tuesday morning for an interrogation that lasted approximately 2 (two) hours on his journalistic work and media activity, after which he was released on condition that he return on Wednesday, 20th May.
Journalist MUATH MAZEN GHANNAM (26 [twenty-six] years old), who works for the “Quds News Network”, told MADA that the General Intelligence in the city of Tubas summoned him to appear at its headquarters at 10:00AM on Tuesday.
The journalist arrived at 10:15AM and interrogation commenced immediately, covering the nature of his work, his place of work, and whether he works on a permanent basis with a media organization, in addition to questions about his educational qualifications and his working method as a cameraman and journalist.
During the interrogation, a series of questions was posed repeatedly and with particular insistence, most notably: how he sends journalistic material, who he communicates with within the “Quds News Network”, the mechanism for receiving his financial dues and how they are transferred to him, and the nature of his communication with other journalists. He was also asked to clarify the type of reports he had previously filmed and who handled the filming during coverage of martyrs’ funerals and field scenes.
In addition to the above, further questions were directed at him regarding his proficiency in the Hebrew language and whether he translates or publishes content in Hebrew, which he denied, affirming that he works solely as a cameraman.
A second interrogator was brought in and posed the same questions with increased emphasis and pressure during the questioning. The journalist noted that his mobile phone was searched and its contents reviewed, and that he was threatened with the possibility of retrieving calls and data linked to him.
The journalist MUATH was subsequently held in other interrogation rooms, his statement was recorded on 2 (two) sheets, and he signed them. At 2:15PM he was released and verbally informed to appear again on Wednesday, 20th May. However, he was unable to attend that appointment, and it was accordingly postponed to Monday, 25th May.
Journalist GHANNAM arrived at the General Intelligence headquarters in Tubas at 10:00AM on Monday, and interrogation commenced immediately. Reference was made to the previous summons session, with interrogators stating that they had recorded 4 (four) pages of statements during that session and that they were “not satisfied” with what he had provided.
The interrogation focused primarily on allegations relating to his management of, or association with, a page dedicated to Hebrew-language translations, which he categorically denied, affirming that he asked the interrogators to present any evidence or information on which these claims were based. He confirmed that his work is limited to photojournalism and that his professional activity is lawful, presenting them with proof-of-work documentation.
The journalist was asked additional questions about financial dues and how they are received, including how he obtains his "salary" and its monetary value, clarifying that transfers are conducted through lawful means.
After an hour and a half of interrogation, the journalist was asked to wait for the operations director to arrive. He was then required to sign a document containing a request for him to appear again on Tuesday, 2nd June, after the Eid holiday, with the warning that failure to appear would result in his arrest from his home.
The journalist left the headquarters at 12:45PM.
(16th May) Occupation forces prevented a group of journalists and media crews from covering the settlers’ weekly march in the Old City of Hebron on Saturday evening, obstructing their work.
Al-Ghad TV reporter RAED AL-SHREIF told MADA that the television crew, comprising the reporter and cameraman JAMIL SALLAB, was present at 4:00PM on Saturday together with a group of journalists to cover the settlers’ march, which is organized weekly in the Old City of Hebron.
When the settlers exited the Ibrahimi Mosque, occupation soldiers spread across the road and forced the journalists to move ahead of them until they reached the Old City square area, where soldiers began harassing the journalists to prevent coverage and compel them to retreat and leave the area.
The journalists moved a considerable distance from the soldiers' and settlers' location out of fear of being attacked, while some were compelled to leave due to poor visibility and difficulty conducting press coverage.
Among the journalists present: Wafa news agency cameraman HAMZA HATTAB, Reuters cameraman MOUSSA AL-QAWASMEH, independent journalists SHAHD AL-RAJUB, AMER AL-SHALODI, SARI JARADAT, YASSER THALJI, NIDAL ASHMAR AL-NATSHEH, freelance journalist ADEEB BARKHAT AL-ATRASH, SAMEH AL-TITI, LUAY MAHBASH AMRO, and MUSAB AL-HASHLAMOUN.
(23rd May) Occupation soldiers prevented a group of journalists from covering the settlers’ weekly march in the Old City of Hebron on Saturday afternoon, obstructing their work by pursuing them until they reached a point from which coverage became impossible.
According to the account given to MADA by freelance journalist AMER AL-SHALODI, at approximately 4:00PM on Saturday he proceeded, together with freelance journalist LUAY ASHRAF AL-SAEED, Anadolu Agency cameraman WISSAM ABD AL-HAFIZ AL-HASHLAMOUN, Reuters cameraman MOUSSA AL-QAWASMEH, Xinhua Agency cameraman MAMOUN ISMAIL WAZWAZ, and freelance journalist MUSAB ABD AL-SAMAD SHAWER, to the Old City of Hebron to cover the weekly march organized by settlers in the Old City.
While the journalists were in the area, occupation soldiers began spreading through the roads and alleyways as settlers arrived. Soldiers proceeded to push the journalists away from their position near the Old Municipality square, which had been taken over by settlers, to prevent coverage. The soldiers continued to pursue the journalists until they stopped them at a location from which visibility had become impossible, forcing them to leave the site.
(24th May) GHASSAN AL-DHAHEINI, a senior figure in the Rafah militias collaborating with the occupation, incited against independent journalist NOUR AL-NAJJAR through a post published on his Facebook account on Sunday, seeking to prevent her from traveling in the future.
In her account to MADA, freelance journalist NOUR TALAL AL-NAJJAR (31 [thirty-one] years old) stated that she was taken aback by a post from Rafah militia figure GHASSAN AL-DHAHEINI in which he announced that he would be the reason for preventing her from traveling, inciting against her and falsely claiming that she supports resistance factions in the Strip.
Journalist AL-NAJJAR added that the post published by AL-DHAHEINI on his personal Facebook account contained explicit language, stating “I wish you a permanent stay in Gaza”, in reference to preventing her from leaving the Strip, which came as a shock to her, particularly since she had not registered to travel and was not considering doing so. She noted that, should she decide to travel, it is the official authorities, not these militias, who determine who may or may not travel, and that she is unaware of the reason for this post, especially given that it comes from militias collaborating with the occupation.
Journalist AL-NAJJAR held AL-THAHEINI and all members of the militias collaborating with the occupation responsible for any harm that may befall her and her family. She affirmed that travel is a right for all, and that no one can prevent her or any Palestinian from moving freely. She considered this indirect threat, made via the post, to have been preceded by multiple threats from parties collaborating with the occupation, through calls from private numbers or messages sent from anonymous accounts on social media platforms demanding that she cease publishing news related to combating the militias and exposing the danger of young people from Gaza joining them or speaking about them on her digital platforms.
(24th May) The management of the Premier League suspended sports journalist IBRAHIM KHADRA from work and prevented him from continuing his coverage of league matches as of Sunday, in response to Israeli incitement against him.
In his account to MADA, sports journalist IBRAHIM KHADRA (33 [thirty-three] years old), who works for Bein Sports, stated that he received a written notice via email from the Premier League management informing him of the termination of his contract and his suspension from covering matches that had begun in the British capital London as of Sunday, 24th May.
This decision came as a result of the journalist being subjected to extensive incitement and distortion of his positions by Israeli activists and players, due to his supportive stances toward the Gaza Strip and his exposure of the occupation’s crimes against the population during the war.
KHADRA added that the league’s management yielded to Israeli pressure, which was amplified through social media, and aligned itself with the occupation, setting aside all sporting ethics and conventions. He considered this a blatant and partisan interference in favor of the occupation, as the suspension of his coverage has nothing to do with football or sport, but rather with Israeli incitement and the official international position biased in favor of the Israeli occupation state, a war against opinion, stances, and expression, and an erasure of the Palestinian narrative and voice, and a suppression of press freedom.
He concluded his account with the words: “One of the hardest truths of the era we live in today is that expressing what you believe may cost you more than you expect”.
(25th May) Israeli occupation forces arrested journalist ANAS MUJEIR HAWWARI (30 [thirty] years old) following a raid on his home in the town of “Sebastia” northwest of Nablus in the early hours of Monday morning and took him to an undisclosed location.
His wife WATAN NAIRAT told MADA that occupation forces, accompanied by a district officer, stormed the family home at approximately 2:30AM in a forceful manner, with soldiers searching the home and rifling through its contents, including the small child’s wardrobe.
The district officer sat with journalist HAWWARI for approximately half an hour, subjecting him to a field interrogation and directing questions at him about his work and personal life, along with a number of questions related to the area. The soldiers then took his mobile phone and laptop and confiscated them.
The officer informed the family of his intention to arrest the journalist when his wife asked whether the matter concerned an interrogation or a brief detention, to which he replied that he did not know, before the forces took the journalist from the home to an undisclosed location.
(27th May) Occupation police issued a decision to banish freelance journalist SEIF AL-QAWASMEH from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 1 (one) week, following his summons to the Qishle interrogation center on Wednesday morning while he was present for Eid al-Adha prayers.
According to the account given to MADA by freelance journalist SEIF AL-DIN SAEED AL-QAWASMEH, he was present at 6:00AM on Wednesday with his family at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to perform Eid al-Adha prayers.
A unit of Israeli police and the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet) arrived at his location and requested that he accompany them, despite his suffering from a fracture in his right leg.
The journalist complied with the unit’s orders and accompanied them to an occupation police facility in the Western Wall area, where an interrogator verbally informed him of a decision to banish him from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 1 (one) week, and handed him a written summons to meet with police at the Qishle interrogation center.
The journalist left the first police facility and proceeded to the Qishle headquarters the same day, where he was formally informed of the banishment decision in writing, and was asked to return after 4 (four) days for interrogation. Journalist AL-QAWASMEH noted that he has been subjected to the occupation’s banishment policy since 2017, without interruption, under unspecified security pretexts.
(25th May) Israeli occupation F-16 aircraft bombed journalist LINA AL-TAWEEL’s home in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza Strip on Monday evening, after one of the neighbors received a phone call from an occupation officer instructing them to evacuate the area within only 20 (twenty) minutes.
In her account to MADA, program presenter and Al-Quds channel reporter LINA MAHMOUD AL-TAWEEL (33 [thirty-three] years old) stated that one of her neighbors received a call from an occupation intelligence officer at approximately 9:55PM on Monday, demanding the complete evacuation of a residential block in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza Strip, within which journalist LINA’s home and other residences are located, giving them only 20 (twenty) minutes to evacuate and move away in preparation for striking the area.
The journalist and her family evacuated the home immediately and urgently, as did the other neighbors, without being able to take anything with them. Approximately 20 (twenty) minutes later, at 10:15PM, after reaching an intersection approximately 150 (one hundred and fifty) meters from the homes, F-16 warplanes struck the residential block with multiple missiles, completely destroying the journalist's 4 (four)-story home and leveling it to the ground, along with 5 (five) other homes.
The journalist lost all her belongings inside the home, including a laptop and the microphone she uses in her work, her press credentials, and all her possessions. She and her family were left homeless following the complete destruction of the home.
(27th May) Photojournalist IYAD AZZAM of Al-Azhar University sustained suffocation and breathing difficulty and moderate wounds to both feet, while his home was partially destroyed in a strike that targeted its surroundings in central Gaza City on Wednesday evening.
According to the account of photojournalist IYAD TAYSEER AZZAM (43 [forty-three] years old), the vicinity of his home, located near the Municipal Park in central Gaza City, was subjected to intensive and sudden Israeli air strikes without prior warning on Wednesday evening.
The photojournalist was standing near his home at approximately 10:10PM on Wednesday when he began hearing explosions and the screams of residents and witnessing fires breaking out in the surrounding residential buildings.
The journalist rushed toward the scene to document and cover it, and upon arriving discovered that his home was among those targeted. He immediately went inside his home through the rubble, smoke, and flames to check on his family, only to find his young daughter SIDRA, 12 (twelve) years old, lying on the ground bleeding, she had been killed, while his other daughter had sustained serious injuries that subsequently led to the amputation of one of her feet.
The journalist sustained suffocation and breathing difficulty due to the density of the smoke, lost consciousness for several minutes, and also sustained surface wounds to his feet from flying debris. He was transported by ambulance to the Al-Saraya Field Hospital in central Gaza for treatment in the emergency department, while his home sustained severe damage and was partially destroyed.
(27th May) Occupation police assaulted journalist FIRAS AL-DABBAS by beating and dragging him during coverage of worshippers' arrival at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning, took him to a police center, interrogated him, and then issued a decision banishing him from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 1 (one) week.
In his account to Mada, journalist FIRAS AL-DABBAS, a member of the media crew of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, stated that he was present from 6:00AM on Wednesday inside Al-Aqsa Mosque to cover the arrival of worshippers.
While conducting interviews with worshippers in the outer courtyard, a unit of Israeli police and the General Security Service (Shin Bet) arrived. Members of the unit attacked journalist AL-DABBAS and assaulted him by beating him and dragging him several meters before forcibly taking him to an Israeli police center near the Western Wall area, from which he was transferred to the Qishle interrogation center, where he was placed in an interrogation room.
The journalist was subjected to 4 (four) consecutive hours of interrogation about the nature of his work. The interrogator claimed that his presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque was intended to incite through his journalistic work, a claim the journalist denied.
Prior to his release from the police center, the journalist was informed of a decision banishing him from Al-Aqsa Mosque for 7 (seven) days.
( May) Journalist HUDA BAROUD and her husband journalist MOHAMMAD OTHMAN, both of whom work in investigative journalism, were subjected to incitement and direct threats on multiple occasions during May 2026 by officials collaborating with the occupation-backed militias operating east of the Gaza Strip.
In her account to MADA, journalist HUDA AHMAD BAROUD (37 [thirty-seven] years old) stated that a person named SHAWQI ABU NASIRA published a video on the “Popular Army Forces” page, belonging to the militias collaborating with the occupation on Facebook, inciting against her and against her husband journalist MOHAMMAD AHMAD OTHMAN (38 [thirty-eight] years old).
ABU NASIRA appeared seated at his desk inside the Yellow Zone controlled by the occupation east of the Gaza Strip, using abusive language against both journalists, then publicly displayed their photographs and openly incited against them, amid threats of moral and physical targeting and elimination should they not cease publishing news related to these militias.
Journalist BAROUD stated that ever since her husband journalist MOHAMMAD OTHMAN began dedicating a portion of his news coverage on his personal Facebook page to reporting on armed groups operating under the occupation's administration east of Gaza, they have been subjected to campaigns of defamation, incitement, electronic threats, and harassment by those groups and their followers and supporters, foremost among them GHASSAN AL-DHAHEINI, head of the Rafah militias, who sent private messages via social media or through posts on his official pages.
The campaigns have included incitement, defamation, sexual threats, the fabrication and creation of nude images using artificial intelligence, posts of an explicitly sexual nature using obscene language, and threats of physical elimination.
Journalist BAROUD affirmed that the armed groups launched the incitement campaigns against them in response to posts she and her husband wrote as a political stance rejecting the genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian right to resistance.
BAROUD held the occupation and those collaborating militias and their leaders fully responsible for her life, the life of her husband, and the lives of their family.
