Ramallah – 6th July 2026: June 2026 witnessed a marked rise in the rate of violations committed against media freedoms in Palestine, compared to the preceding month of May. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms ("MADA") documented 77 (seventy-seven) violations during June, compared to 54 (fifty-four) violations recorded during May, representing an increase of 43% (forty-three per cent) in the volume of recorded violations.
The rise recorded in the number of violations during June is attributed mainly to the escalation of Israeli violations against media freedoms. The total violations documented by the Center during the month reached 77 (seventy-seven), of which 68 (sixty-eight) were committed by Israeli occupation forces — 66 (sixty-six) in the West Bank and two (2) in the Gaza Strip. By comparison, various Palestinian parties committed 8 (eight) violations, distributed equally between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, at four (4) violations in each. While Meta committed a single violation in the Gaza Strip,
Israeli Violations:
Israeli violations against media freedoms recorded a sharp rise during June, as the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms ("MADA") documented 68 (sixty-eight) crimes and violations, compared to 46 (forty-six) violations documented during the preceding month — an increase of 22 (twenty-two) violations, representing a rise of 48% (forty-eight percent). The data indicate that Israeli violations accounted for 88% (eighty-eight percent) of the total violations recorded during the month, reflecting the continued escalation in targeting journalistic work and media freedoms in Palestine.
Amid the continued targeting of civilians, including journalists, in the Gaza Strip, the killing of journalists once again topped the list of the most serious violations, given the direct threat it poses to the right to life and to freedom of journalistic and media work in Palestine. During June, occupation forces killed the cameraman of "Al Jazeera Mubasher", journalist AHMED WISHAH, after targeting him while he was inside a house in the central Gaza Strip. This came less than three months after the killing of his brother, journalist MOHAMMAD WISHAH, who also worked for the same channel, after being targeted by occupation forces during the preceding month of April — a grave indication of the continued serious violations committed against journalists and media workers.
During June, MADA documented four (4) cases of physical assault against journalists. Photojournalist MOTASEM SAQF AL-HEIT was struck in his left foot by a gas canister, while photojournalist ZAIN ISHTAYA suffered suffocation from inhaling gas; both were transferred to hospital for treatment while covering an event held by residents of Deir Abu Mishal village, northwest of Ramallah.
Occupation soldiers also detained MUATH GHANNAM, a journalist with "Quds News Network," for five (5) hours in the northern Jordan Valley area, where he was subjected to mistreatment after being forced to lie on the ground, blindfolded, and bound.
In another incident, settlers blocked the path of Al-Fajr TV reporter HIBA KITTANA, verbally assaulted her, and then stole her mobile phone, identity card, and driving license before fleeing.
MADA also documented three (3) arrest cases involving journalists and media workers during the past month. Occupation forces arrested NATALIE ABU DAYYEH, a media student, from her residence in the town of Birzeit; she is a resident of the town of Beit Jala. Writer BILAL AL-SHOBAKI was also arrested from his home in the city of Hebron, while journalist SOAD AL-KHAWAJA was arrested from her home in the town of "Ni'lin", west of Ramallah.
In the context of arrest- and detention-related violations, MADA documented a number of cases of arbitrary detention of journalists. Occupation soldiers detained journalists MOHAMMAD AL-RAJOUB and MOAYYAD NASSAR for several hours as they were returning from media coverage in the town of Yatta, confiscating their vehicle keys and identity cards and subjecting the vehicle to a search.
Occupation forces also detained Al-Fajr TV reporter AHMED SHAWISH for approximately 20 (twenty) minutes at a military checkpoint between the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where he was subjected to a thorough field search covering his vehicle and mobile phone, before being released on condition that he cease media coverage in the area.
MADA further documented the continued restrictions imposed on journalists’ freedom of movement, after occupation authorities barred freelance journalist SAMI AL-SAIE and his son IBRAHIM from travelling via the Karama Crossing while heading to Jordan for medical examinations.
In the Gaza Strip, the home of journalist BILAL MALAKHA sustained severe damage after it caught fire and large parts of it were destroyed as a result of shelling by occupation aircraft that targeted a residential block in the "Al-Maghazi" camp in the central Gaza Strip.
With regard to restrictions on media coverage, MADA documented 52 (fifty-two) cases of coverage obstruction and targeting of journalists in the course of their work during the past month. The majority of these violations were concentrated in Hebron Governorate, where occupation forces and settlers continued to prevent journalists from covering the weekly march organized by settlers in the Old City of Hebron every Saturday, in addition to preventing them from covering settlers’ takeover of the "Mount Tarousa" area south of the city. A large number of journalists in Hebron Governorate were repeatedly subjected to these violations during the month.
On Monday, 11 June, occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention of journalist BUSHRA JAMAL AL-TAWEEL from the city of Al-Bireh for a further four (4) months.
Palestinian Violations
Palestinian violations documented during June showed a slight increase compared to the preceding month of May, rising from 7 (seven) violations to 8 (eight) violations. These violations accounted for 10% (ten percent) of the total violations documented during the month.
As part of the violations committed by Palestinian parties, MADA documented the continued summoning and interrogation of journalists in connection with their professional work. Palestinian intelligence services in the West Bank summoned freelance journalist MOHAMMAD BADER twice during June, despite his having already been summoned and interrogated during the preceding month of May, with the investigations again focusing on the same issues related to his journalistic work. Palestinian intelligence also summoned "Quds News Network" journalist MUATH GHANNAM and interrogated him regarding his activity and journalistic work over the preceding two weeks, requesting that he send any journalistic material or footage he films or sends to "Quds News Network", where he works. In addition, editor ABDULQADER AQEL of "Quds News Network" was summoned and interrogated for 45 (forty-five) minutes about his media work, the value of his monthly salary, and how he receives it.
A Facebook page named "Amn News", affiliated with the Palestinian security services, also incited against journalist SAMER KHUWAIRA over a post in which he criticized an administrative circular attributed to the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) concerning the raising of the call to prayer (adhan) in mosques near settlements.
In the Gaza Strip, MADA documented two (2) cases of assault and detention against journalists. A group of individuals who identified themselves as belonging to the Palestinian resistance detained "Al Jazeera Mubasher" cameraman MOHAMMAD ABU ARMANA for two (2) hours, confiscating his mobile phone and searching him, and threatened him with arrest and assault should he continue covering similar events; this occurred while he was covering a sit-in inside Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. In another incident, freelance journalist MOHANNAD QASHTA was subjected to verbal and physical assault by two citizens while covering the aftermath of Israeli shelling that targeted a tent in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, on Saturday afternoon.
Social Media Violations:
MADA documented one violation committed by social media platforms during June. The incident involved the suspension of freelance journalist Naeem Rayan's Facebook account, operated by Meta, without prior notice or any explanation for the decision.
Details of the Violations:
(2nd June) Occupation forces arrested NATALIE ABU DAYYEH, a media student at Birzeit University and a resident of the town of Beit Jala, after raiding her residence in the town of Birzeit and taking her to the "Al-Moscobiyya" Interrogation Center, where her detention was extended twice.
According to a statement given to MADA by the student's father, SAMER ABU DAYYEH, occupation forces raided the students' residence in the town of Birzeit, north of the city of Ramallah, where the student lives, searched it, and confiscated her personal phone; she is a third-year student majoring in journalism and media.
The soldiers asked the students their names, and when NATALIE identified herself, they confiscated her personal phone and identity card and ordered her to accompany them.
She was taken to the "Al-Moscobiyya" Interrogation Center, and after lawyers, including a lawyer from the Prisoners' Affairs Commission, were able to visit her, they learned that her detention had been extended for six (6) days, followed by a second extension of ten (10) days, and that she was transferred to Damon Prison on Monday, 15th June.
According to information obtained by the family from the lawyers, her general condition is good, and there have been no reports of her being subjected to violence or beating; the interrogation period she underwent was short, though no information is available on the nature of the interrogation conducted with her.
On Tuesday, 23rd June, student NATALIE's third court hearing was held, and a request was submitted for her release on bail; no response to the request had been received as of this writing.
(4th June) Occupation soldiers fired sound and gas bombs at a group of journalists while they were covering clashes between settlers and residents, after settlers set fire to farmers’ fields east of the town of "Idhna", west of the city of Hebron, causing some of them to suffocate and obstructing the journalists’ work.
According to a statement given to MADA by Anadolu Agency cameraman WISAM ABDULHAFEZ AL-HASHLAMOUN, at around 2:00PM on Thursday he headed, together with Xinhua News Agency cameraman MAMOUN ISMAIL ZOUZOU, Reuters cameramen MOUSA AL-QAWASMEH and YUSRI AL-JAMAL, and independent journalists SARI ABDULGHAFOUR JARADAT and YASSER ABDULMONEIM JARADAT, to the "Al-Jalaita" area east of the town of "Idhna", west of the city of Hebron, to cover settlers setting fire to farmers’ fields, which was accompanied by clashes between them and residents.
During the coverage, occupation soldiers attacked the journalists and residents and fired sound bombs and tear gas at them, causing a number of journalists to suffer mild suffocation and forcing them to move away slightly from the location. During this, the soldiers advanced toward the location where the journalists were present, prevented them from remaining there, and began harassing them and preventing them from filming, which eventually forced them to leave the location.
(5th June) Occupation soldiers targeted a group of journalists in the "Al-Jalaita" area west of the city of Hebron with sound and gas bombs on Friday morning, and assaulted them by pushing, during coverage of a protest by residents against settlers erecting tents in the area.
In his statement to MADA, freelance journalist MUS’AB ABDULSAMAD SHAWER said that a large group of journalists and photojournalists headed at around 11:00AM on Friday to the "Al-Jalaita" area east of the town of Idhna, west of the city of Hebron, to cover an event organized by residents in protest against settlers erecting tents on the town’s land.
After Friday prayers ended, residents attempted to approach the location of the tents; occupation soldiers then attacked them all and fired sound bombs and tear gas intensively, causing a number of residents to suffer suffocation for several minutes. The soldiers also attacked the journalists and pushed them violently to remove them from the coverage and prevent them from completing it; this harassment against the journalists continued until they were forced to leave the location without completing their work.
Among the journalists present were: "Palestine TV" cameramen EYAD ABDULHAFEZ AL-HALASA and FADI KHALAF; freelance journalist MUS’AB ABDULSAMAD SHAWER; European Pressphoto Agency cameraman HAZEM BADER; Xinhua News Agency cameraman MAMOUN ISMAIL ZOUZOU; and independent journalists MOHAMMAD AWAD AL-RAJOUB, AHMED AL-RAJABI, and MOAYYAD NASSAR.
(6th June) Occupation soldiers detained two journalists east of the city of Dura on Saturday evening for several hours as they were returning from media coverage in the city of "Yatta", having taken a dirt road after the main gates and roads leading to the bypass road were closed; the soldiers searched their vehicle and confiscated its key.
According to a statement given to MADA by freelance journalist MOHAMMAD RAJOUB, at around 8:00PM on Saturday he was returning, accompanied by journalist MOAYYAD MOHAMMAD NASSAR, from media coverage in the city of "Yatta", heading to the city of Dura.
Occupation forces had closed all main gates and roads leading to the bypass road, forcing the two journalists to take a dirt road east of the city of "Dura”.
As soon as the vehicle had moved a few meters along the dirt road, it was surrounded by four occupation soldiers brandishing their weapons, who shouted at the journalists demanding that they turn off the vehicle’s engine. Although journalist RAJOUB informed them that they were journalists, and the word "PRESS" was written on the front of the vehicle, the soldiers refused to speak with them and continued only to shout.
The soldiers demanded that the two journalists hand over their personal identity cards and forced them to get out of the vehicle. They searched the vehicle, which was carrying cameras and filming equipment belonging to them, after which one of the soldiers approached the journalists and asked them to sit on the ground. He then confiscated the vehicle key, along with their personal and press identity cards, while another soldier approached the vehicle and placed a sticker on it reading: "No stopping here”.
The soldiers then left the location after returning the two journalists' personal and press identity cards, while keeping the vehicle key, without allowing them to speak or ask why they had been detained.
The two journalists remained at the location until 5:00AM the following day, Sunday, when an occupation army patrol returned to the site; the soldiers returned the vehicle key to them and asked them to leave the location.
(7th June) Israeli occupation forces targeted a group of journalists and media crews with metal bullets and sound bombs on Sunday afternoon during coverage of a raid on the "Balata" camp east of the city of Nablus, forcing them to withdraw from the scene and obstructing their work.
Roya TV reporter HAFEZ MAHMOUD ABU SABRA (36 years old) told MADA that a group of journalists and media crews were present in the "Balata" camp at around 12:00PM on Sunday to cover a raid on Balata camp and the siege of one of its houses. The raid was accompanied by the deployment of snipers on the rooftops of a number of houses and raids on homes and shops inside the camp.
The journalists were present in the school street and market street areas inside the camp to cover the raid, when occupation soldiers repeatedly targeted them with sound bombs and then with live ammunition to prevent them from filming, posing a direct threat to their lives, obstructing their journalistic work, and forcing them to withdraw to a considerable distance from the besieged house.
Among the journalists present at the location were: the "Roya TV" crew, reporter HAFEZ ABU SABRA and cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI; "Al-Najah" TV cameraman OMAIR ISTAITIEH; "Quds News Network" reporter ABDULLAH AL-BAHASH; "Falasteen Post" reporter MUJAHID TABANJA; Agence France-Presse cameraman JAAFAR ISHTAYA; freelance journalist NASSER ISHTAYA; Anadolu Agency contributing cameraman NIDAL ISHTAYA; Associated Press cameraman MAJDI ISHTAYA; WAFA news agency cameraman AYMAN NOUBANI; and the "Palestine TV" crew, reporter MOHAMMAD AL-KHATIB and cameraman SAMER HABASH.
(7th June) The Palestinian intelligence service interrogated freelance journalist MOHAMMAD BADER on Sunday morning at the General Intelligence Directorate headquarters in the city of Ramallah for three (3) hours about his journalistic work.
According to a statement given by editor and freelance journalist MOHAMMAD BADER, who is from the town of "Beit Liqya", southwest of the city of Ramallah, he received a call on Saturday, 6th June, from a person who identified himself as being from the General Intelligence service and informed him that he needed to report to the service’s headquarters the following day for interrogation at the General Intelligence Directorate in the city of Ramallah, without explaining the reasons for the summons.
The journalist reported to the service’s headquarters as scheduled on Sunday, 7th June, and underwent an interrogation lasting three hours regarding his journalistic work with "Al-Araby Al-Jadeed" newspaper and the nature of the journalistic material he writes, after reports published under his name were found online, despite his having previously confirmed that he works freelance with more than one media outlet and is not an employee of the newspaper.
During subsequent sessions, the interrogators asked BADER to bring his personal phone and informed him of their wish to access WhatsApp to check whether he was a member of journalists’ groups and whether discussions relating to the Authority or government took place within them. He explained to the interrogators, however, that his journalistic work is carried out through his laptop rather than his phone, and that his phone represents a personal space that he does not use for work.
At the end of the interrogation, in which three intelligence officers took part, the journalist left the headquarters on the understanding that he would return on Tuesday, 16th June, for further interrogation.
He reported again as scheduled, where he was again asked to bring his phone and unlock it in front of the interrogators, but he refused. Because of his refusal, he was transferred to the investigation section, where the session's atmosphere involved shouting from some of the interrogators, and one of them behaved in a manner that appeared to be an attempted assault on him.
This session lasted for many hours, from 12:00 noon until 10:00PM, before he was asked to leave without any further action being taken against him, and was informed that he might be summoned again in the future.
The journalist clarified that BADER had previously received, on 16 May, a call from the Intelligence Service requesting that he report to its headquarters, and that he had gone the following day in response to the summons. The interrogation focused on his participation in journalists’ groups via WhatsApp and his views on issues related to the Palestinian Authority, before extending to his personal phone and his journalistic work, particularly his cooperation with "Al-Araby Al-Jadeed" newspaper. BADER affirmed to the interrogators that he works freelance with a number of media outlets, and that the material published under his name, including translations from the Hebrew press, falls within his journalistic work and does not express political positions.
(7th June) Israeli occupation forces arrested, at dawn on Sunday, writer and political analyst with the "Palestinian Policy Network" and head of the Political Science Department at Hebron University, Dr. BILAL AL-SHOBAKI (42 years old), and took him to an unknown location after searching his home and breaking its contents.
According to a statement by his wife, ZAIN ASQALAN, a large force of occupation soldiers stormed the residential building in which they live at 2:00AM on Sunday and began shouting hysterically from the building's entrance until they reached the writer's apartment on the fifth floor.
Dozens of occupation soldiers entered the apartment, searched the home in a brutal manner, and broke some of its contents; the wife went into the children's room, who were terrified and panicked by what was happening.
The soldiers later confiscated writer BILAL's mobile phone and then took him to an unknown location.
Two days before his arrest, occupation forces had detained writer AL-SHOBAKI for three (3) hours as he was returning from Italy, where he oversees an academic exchange program between Hebron University and an Italian university.
(11th June) A large part of the home of journalist BILAL MALAKA was burned and partially destroyed as a result of shelling by occupation warplanes on a residential block in the "Al-Maghazi" camp in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday evening.
In his statement to MADA, broadcaster and reporter with "Al-Aqsa Media Network", journalist BILAL BASSAM MALAKA (32 years old) said that he had received a phone call from an occupation intelligence officer at 9:40PM on Thursday demanding the immediate and urgent evacuation of a residential block in the "Al-Maghazi" camp in the central Gaza Strip, home to hundreds of houses, including his own, in preparation for its complete bombardment.
Because the time given was very short, he was unable to remove any of his belongings from inside the house. About an hour and a half after the warning was received, at 11:20PM, an Israeli F-16 warplane bombed a house next to his, a large part of which was burned; the bombing caused severe damage to his house, shrapnel scattered widely, and his house became uninhabitable. He and his family were left homeless, having lost much of the household's belongings and furniture due to damage caused by the force of the explosion.
(15th June) Israeli occupation soldiers targeted a group of journalists with a sound bomb and obstructed their work during coverage of a raid on the eastern area of the city of Nablus on Monday evening; one of the soldiers also directly threatened them to make them withdraw from the coverage.
"Quds News Network" reporter ABDULLAH TAYSEER BAHASH (29 years old) told MADA that at around 10:50PM on Monday, he was accompanied by "Palestine TV" cameraman ABDULLAH ABU SABRA and "Falasteen Post" reporter MUJAHID TABANJA, conducting field coverage of an occupation forces’ raid on the eastern area of the city of Nablus, when an Israeli military vehicle pursued them and targeted them with a sound bomb, forcing them to retreat.
At around 11:00PM, another military vehicle approached the journalists; one of the occupation soldiers opened the vehicle’s door and issued a direct threat to the journalists, saying, "Watch out", which obstructed their work and forced them to withdraw and retreat from the coverage location for fear of being targeted.
BAHASH noted that these practices obstructed the work of the media crews and prevented them from continuing field coverage from the scene, and constituted a direct threat to the journalists' safety in the course of performing their professional duties.
(16th June) Photojournalist MOTASEM SAQF AL-HEIT was injured by a gas canister in his foot, and photojournalist ZAIN ISHTAYA suffered suffocation from tear gas, on Tuesday afternoon, while covering an event held by residents of "Deir Abu Mishal" village near Ramallah to confront the presence of settlers on their land, after settlers erected a tent on residents’ land in the village since 12 June. Residents have since been attempting to reach their land, but occupation soldiers have been preventing them from doing so.
In his statement to MADA, freelance cameraman MOTASEM SAMIR SAQF AL-HEIT (32 years old) said that he went to "Deir Abu Mishal" village on Tuesday afternoon to cover a sit-in by residents on their land in protest against the presence of settlers there.
Independent cameramen MOTASEM SAQF AL-HEIT and MOHAMMAD AWAD, Agence France-Presse cameraman ZAIN ISHTAYA, and Anadolu Agency cameraman ISSAM AL-RIMAWI were present at the location for the coverage. While they were present, a group of occupation soldiers (three (3) military patrols) arrived to confront the sit-in.
One of the occupation soldiers fired a gas canister directly, from a distance of approximately five (5) meters, hitting MOTASEM SAQF AL-HEIT’s right leg; he was injured in the shin bone and was transferred by ambulance to hospital, where, following a medical examination, doctors said the injury was minor but that the foot needed rest.
ZAIN ISHTAYA suffered severe suffocation as a result of inhaling a large quantity of gas and was also transferred to hospital for treatment.
(16th June) Occupation soldiers targeted a group of journalists with gas bombs on Tuesday morning while they were present in the "Mount Tarousa" area south of Hebron, covering settlers laying a foundation stone on one of the hills that had been seized.
In his statement to MADA, freelance journalist LUAY MAHBASH AMRO said that at 10:00AM on Tuesday, he, together with Anadolu Agency cameraman SARI JARADAT and independent journalists SAMEH AL-TAITI and NIDAL AL-NATSHEH, went to the "Mount Tarousa" area to cover settlers laying a foundation stone on one of the seized hills.
While a group of residents was standing near the road, occupation soldiers moved toward the area and fired gas bombs indiscriminately at the residents and journalists, despite their being in a clearly visible and open location to the soldiers, causing the journalists to suffocate from the smell of gas, leave the location, and fail to complete the media coverage.
(16th June) Facebook, owned by Meta, temporarily suspended the account of freelance journalist Naeem Zidan on Tuesday without providing any reason or indicating how long the temporary suspension would last.
According to the report submitted by journalist Naeem Kazem Rayan (29), from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip through the Raqeb application, he was surprised on 16 June to find that his Facebook account, which had around 100,000 followers, had been suspended without any prior warning or explanation. The notification informed him that he could appeal the decision within 180 days.
Following the notification, the journalist submitted an appeal. However, the appeal remained pending, and he only received a confirmation message stating: "We have received your information."
It is worth noting that this is the third time the journalist's Facebook account has been suspended since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip.
(17th June) Occupation soldiers prevented "Karama" Radio reporter SALMAN ABU ARAM from covering the demolition of a house east of the city of "Yatta" on Wednesday morning, and obstructed his work by pushing him and shouting at him, forcing him to leave the location.
According to a statement given to MADA by journalist SALMAN ABU ARAM, at around 9:00AM on Wednesday he went to the "Al-Dirat" area east of the city of "Yatta”, south of Hebron Governorate, to cover the occupation authorities’ demolition of a house there.
As soon as the journalist arrived at the area, he was confronted by two soldiers; one of them began shouting at him to move away from the location. Journalist ABU ARAM tried to speak with them and showed his press card, but the soldier continued shouting and pushed him, demanding that he move away from the location and stop filming, which forced the journalist to leave the location and head to a distant spot to film the event.
(18th June) Two settlers stopped the vehicle of journalist HIBA KITTANA near the "Yitzhar" settlement between the cities of Nablus and Ramallah on Thursday afternoon, verbally assaulted her, and stole her personal phones, identity card, and driving license.
According to a statement given to MADA by Al-Fajr TV reporter HIBA AHMED KITTANA (25 years old), she had finished preparing a news report in the city of Nablus and was heading in her vehicle to the city of Ramallah. At around 11:30AM, she reached the "Yitzhar" road between the cities of Nablus and Ramallah, where a car of an unidentified type, carrying two settlers, followed her and began harassing her by shouting and spitting at her, until they blocked her path and stopped their car across the road.
One of the settlers got out of the car and approached the driver's-side window, where journalist HIBA was sitting, turned off the engine, and asked her for her identity card.
He did not speak Arabic or English, and all he said was, "You are Hamas", and, "Give me the ID" forcing her, out of fear, to hand over her identity card, which also contained her driving license.
While seated in the car, she had placed her two phones, an iPhone Pro Max 13 and an iPhone Pro Max 17, on her lap; the settler stole the phones and kept the identity card and driving license, and then fled the scene quickly.
On Saturday, 20th June, the journalist went to the Palestinian Criminal Investigation Department and reported the theft of her phones, identity card, and license; the Department in turn filed a complaint with the military liaison against the settlers.
(19th June) Occupation forces suppressed a number of journalists and media crews by firing gas bombs at them on Friday while they were present in the "Mount Tarousa" area west of Dura Governorate, covering settlers’ seizure of residents’ land, causing them to suffocate and leave the coverage.
According to a statement given to MADA by "Palestine TV" cameraman FADI KHALAF, after Friday prayers ended, a group of journalists and media crews were present in the "Tarousa" area west of Dura Governorate, south of the city of Hebron, to cover an event organized by residents in protest against settlers’ seizure of their land in the area.
As soon as prayers ended, occupation forces advanced toward the participants in the event and began firing live ammunition indiscriminately, while one of the soldiers fired tear gas bombs toward the "Palestine TV" crew and all cameramen present at the coverage, who were only about 20 (twenty) meters from the soldiers, causing them to suffocate from inhaling the gas and forcing them to leave the location immediately.
Among the journalists present at the location were: "Palestine TV" cameramen EYAD ABDULHAFEZ AL-HASHLAMOUN and FADI KHALAF; Xinhua News Agency cameraman MAMOUN ZOUZOU; WAFA news agency reporter HAMZA HATTAB; freelance journalist MUS’AB ABDULSAMAD SHAWER; and European Pressphoto Agency cameraman HAZEM BADR.
(20th June) Occupation soldiers prevented a number of journalists from covering the weekly march organized by settlers on Saturday in the Old City of Hebron, and obstructed their work, forcing them to leave the location without completing the coverage.
According to a statement given to MADA by freelance journalist LUAY MAHBASH AMRO, at around 4:00PM on Saturday he, together with a group of journalists, WAFA News Agency reporter HAMZA HATTAB and independent journalists MUS’AB ABDULSAMAD SHAWER, AHMED AL-RAJABI, YASSER THALJI, and AMER ISMAIL AL-SHALOUDI, went to the Old City of Hebron to cover the weekly march organized by settlers.
After the settlers emerged from the closed entrance of "Al-Shallala" Street heading toward the Old City square, soldiers deployed in the area and began harassing the journalists to prevent them from covering and filming and to obstruct their work, forcing them to retreat a considerable distance, which made the media coverage difficult and forced them to leave the location.
(20th June) Occupation soldiers prevented journalists MOHAMMAD AWAD and MOAYYAD NASSAR from covering soldiers’ and settlers’ seizure of one of the hills located in "Mount Tarousa", south of the city of Hebron, on Saturday afternoon, and forced them to leave the location.
In his statement to MADA, freelance journalist MOHAMMAD AWAD AL-RAJOUB said that at around 4:00PM on Saturday he was present, together with freelance journalist MOAYYAD MOHAMMAD NASSAR, in "Mount Tarousa", south of the city of Hebron, to prepare a news report on occupation authorities’ and settlers’ takeover of one of the hills in the area.
While the journalists were present in the area, one of the military vehicles, which had been parked near the hill, moved toward their location on the road; one of the soldiers began shouting at them through the vehicle's loudspeaker, demanding that they stop filming and move away from the location. As a result, the two journalists were forced to leave the area for fear of being assaulted or detained by occupation forces.
(20th June) Israeli reconnaissance aircraft targeted "Al Jazeera Mubasher" cameraman AHMED SAMIR WISHAH (28 years old) while he was present in a house in the "Al-Bureij" camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, and he was killed instantly.
According to a statement given to MADA by journalist BILAL ABU SAMAK, his colleague, photojournalist AHMED WISHAH, had arrived at the home of the ABU HASNA family in the "Al-Bureij camp after leaving his workplace.
At around 7:15PM on Saturday, an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft struck the house with a missile; journalist WISHAH was hit by numerous pieces of shrapnel across various parts of his body, leading to his instant death after part of his body was torn apart by the force of the explosion. The journalist arrived at "Al-Aqsa Martyrs" Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, having already died, after being transported by ambulance.
It is worth noting that Ahmed is the brother of "Al Jazeera Mubasher" reporter MOHAMMAD WISHAH, who was killed three (3) months earlier in a similar assassination operation in Gaza City; the late AHMED had worked as a cameraman accompanying his late brother MOHAMMAD throughout many years of journalistic work and live coverage.
(21st June) The Intelligence Service in Tubas Governorate summoned journalist MUATH GHANNAM on Sunday morning to report immediately to its headquarters, and interrogated him for one (1) hour about his journalistic work over the preceding two weeks.
"Quds News Network" journalist MUATH MAZEN GHANNAM (26 years old) told MADA that he received a summons from the Palestinian intelligence service in Tubas Governorate to report to its headquarters at 10:00AM.
Journalist MUATH reported immediately on Sunday, where interrogation began at around 2:00PM, concerning the places he had visited over the preceding two weeks and the journalistic material he had filmed, having prepared three (3) news reports on settler attacks in the Jordan Valley area.
The interrogation also touched on the parties he had been in contact with regarding the repeated summonses and interrogations by the Intelligence Service, as he had been summoned six (6) times over the preceding two months; he informed them that he was in contact with the Journalists' Syndicate and that a lawyer had been following his case from the outset.
The interrogator asked to see his press card, before informing him at the end of the session that he should not report again unless summoned, and demanding that he send any journalistic material or footage he films to "Quds News Network", where he works.
The journalist left the Intelligence headquarters by 3:00PM, after the questioning ended, noting that his mobile phone was not searched during the interrogation session.
(22nd June) A Facebook page named "Amn News" incited against journalist SAMER KHUWAIRA by publishing comments against him, over a post in which he criticized an administrative circular attributed to the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) concerning the raising of the call to prayer (adhan) in mosques near settlements, a circular that was later withdrawn and retracted, according to numerous news websites.
"Hayat" Radio broadcaster SAMER AMIN KHUWAIRA (43 years old) told MADA that a Facebook page named "Amn News", affiliated with the Palestinian security services, published on Monday a screenshot of a post the journalist had shared, accompanied by a text reading:
“We all know who this journalist is affiliated with and to which party, but the strangest thing is that he speaks with such freedom and incites against the Ministry in this manner, and yet is granted freedom without limit”, published about 18 (eighteen) hours after the journalist had shared his original post.
According to the journalist, what occurred is part of an incitement campaign against him on social media, stemming from a post in which he addressed a statement or administrative circular attributed to the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) concerning lowering the volume of the call to prayer (adhan) in mosques near Israeli settlements.
He added that the post, once circulated, was interpreted as "incitement", before accusations against him were published across various pages, including the "Amn News" page, which published incendiary comments and language against him.
KHUWAIRA noted that what he had done amounted to no more than sharing information already circulating on social media platforms, without adopting any inciting or political content, affirming that his work is limited to journalistic coverage and the relaying of information from its sources.
He added that a number of fellow journalists had discussed the matter while stressing the need to verify the accuracy of the disputed statement, while posts containing accusations against him continued to circulate.
The journalist affirmed that what is being circulated against him does not reflect the nature of his journalistic work, and that he has not engaged in any incitement against any official body.
(22nd June) Israeli occupation forces detained Al-Fajr TV reporter AHMED SHAWISH (26 years old) for around 20 (twenty) minutes on Monday between the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where he underwent a thorough field search covering his vehicle and mobile phone before being released, on condition that he cease coverage in the area.
Al-Fajr TV reporter AHMED SHAWISH (26 years old) told MADA that he was stopped and searched by an Israeli military force at the Fahma junction on the road connecting Nablus and Jenin, while returning from work on Monday.
SHAWISH explained that the military force stopped the vehicle and searched it thoroughly, including the boot, before requesting his identity card and mobile phone, which were searched and their contents reviewed; the procedure lasted approximately a quarter of an hour.
He added that his Instagram archive was scrutinized, and published material relating to filming military vehicles and field news was reviewed, noting that he informed the soldiers that his work falls within journalistic coverage and news reporting.
The journalist remained detained for a short search period ranging from 15 (fifteen) to 20 (twenty) minutes, after which the soldiers informed him that he was barred from covering the area, released him, and he left the location.
(22nd June) Palestinian intelligence in Salfit Governorate summoned journalist ABDULQADER AQEL and interrogated him for 45 (forty-five) minutes about his professional career and media work, as well as about the value of his monthly salary and how he receives it.
"Quds News Network" editor ABDULQADER ABDULAZIZ AQEL (36 years old) said that he received a phone call at 10:00AM on Monday from Salfit intelligence summoning him to report immediately for an interview.
The journalist arrived at the intelligence headquarters at 10:15AM and remained in a separate room for about half an hour before being transferred to the interrogation office.
The interrogation began with general questions about his professional career, the nature of his work, and his workplace, given that he works for "Quds News Network"; he noted that the interrogators also asked about the value of his salary and how he receives it.
He added that he was asked about any relationships or affiliations outside the country with institutions or individuals, which he denied, affirming that he had ended any previous cooperation with Arab media outlets several years earlier.
At the end of the session, which lasted 45 (forty-five) minutes, the interrogator asked him whether he held a Journalists' Syndicate card, advising him to obtain one and to focus on his work and his family's future.
(23rd June) Occupation forces targeted a group of journalists with gas bombs on Tuesday morning while they were present south of the city of Hebron covering the demolition of a house, obstructing their work and forcing them to leave the location.
In his statement to MADA, Anadolu Agency cameraman SARI JARADAT said that a group of journalists, including independent photojournalists YASSER THALJI and MUS’AB ABDULSAMAD SHAWER, "Arouba" Radio reporter TAHA ABU HUSSEIN, the "Al-Ghad TV" crew comprising photojournalist JAMIL SALHAB and reporter RAED AL-SHARIF, and Xinhua News Agency journalist MAMOUN ZOUZOU, all headed at around 10:00AM on Tuesday, wearing press attire, to the "Qalqas" area in the southern neighborhood of the city of Hebron to cover the occupation’s demolition of a house.
While the journalists were present in an area close to residents, occupation soldiers fired a barrage of gas bombs at the residents and journalists present in a location facing the soldiers, causing them mild suffocation and forcing them to move away and leave the site.
(24th June) A group of individuals claiming affiliation with the Palestinian resistance detained "Al Jazeera Mubasher" cameraman MOHAMMAD NABIL ABU ARMANA (38 years old) for two (2) hours, confiscating and searching his phone on Wednesday morning, and threatened him with arrest and beating should he repeat coverage of similar events, such as the sit-in inside "Nasser" Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
In his statement to MADA, photojournalist ABU ARMANA said that he was present at around 10:30AM on Wednesday inside "Nasser Medical" Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, to cover a protest by a group of patients and the wounded demanding that their travel [for medical treatment] be expedited.
After completing the coverage and conducting interviews with the protesters, an unarmed person in civilian clothing, accompanied by two other individuals, arrested him without any prior warning and took him for interrogation in a room inside the hospital. They confiscated his phone, which contained the filmed journalistic material, and threatened him with arrest and beating should he repeat coverage of any activity emerging from Gaza. He was detained for two (2) hours and interrogated about the reason for filming and covering the sit-in.
The journalist was released after two hours, while he continued to wait a further two hours before his phone was returned to him, after it had been fully examined and found to contain no violation, infraction, or footage that could harm anyone.
ABU ARMANA added that after his release, he asked them why he had been detained and subjected to this arbitrary measure as a journalist; he was told in response that the pursuit was because he had covered the patients' protest inside the hospital. He considered that what he had done as a journalist was to cover a protest involving legitimate demands, noting that unknown individuals had filmed him during the coverage and handed the footage over to the party that had arrested him.
He said that when he asked the person who had taken him, and those accompanying him, about the nature of their work, he was told that they were members affiliated with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
(24th June) Occupation authorities barred freelance journalist SAMI AL-SAIE and his son IBRAHIM from travelling via the "Karama" Crossing on Wednesday while heading to Jordan to complete a course of medical treatment and follow-up.
According to a statement given to MADA by SAMI SAEED ABDULSAIE (47 years old), he arrived at the King Hussein Bridge at around 11:00AM, accompanied by his son IBRAHIM (18 years old); they were heading to a hospital in Jordan, where they had previously undergone a kidney transplant operation after SAMI donated one of his kidneys to his son IBRAHIM, and they were carrying the medical reports and documents necessary for the follow-up of their health condition.
AL-SAIE explained that occupation authorities stopped them and asked them to wait in the passengers’ hall for approximately two hours, before he was informed that he was barred from travel on the grounds of a "security ban”.
He added that occupation authorities asked him to return without allowing him to leave the country, which deprived him and his son of completing their treatment journey and reaching the scheduled follow-up appointment at the hospital in Jordan.
(24th June) Two citizens verbally and physically assaulted freelance journalist MOHANNAD QASHTA while he was covering Israeli shelling of a tent in "Al-Mawasi Khan Younis”, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday afternoon, 24th June 2026, at 12:50PM.
According to a statement given to MADA by freelance journalist MOHANNAD AHMED QASHTA (30 years old), at around 12:50PM on Saturday he had finished covering Israeli shelling of a tent in "Al-Mawasi Khan Younis" and the destruction it caused to displaced people’s tents, as well as the resulting deaths and injuries.
One of the citizens approached him without any reason, verbally assaulted him with insults and offensive language, and physically assaulted him, causing injuries to his right hand and bruises to his neck and other parts of his body; despite his attempt to free himself by identifying himself as a journalist, his attempt was unsuccessful.
The assault on the journalist ended after the intervention of civil defense crews and residents.
(25th June) Occupation soldiers detained journalist MUATH MAZEN GHANNAM (26 years old) in the northern Jordan Valley area in the city of Tubas, during his media coverage on Thursday, for approximately five (5) hours, and the soldiers mistreated him and the activists accompanying him, releasing them after confiscating their vehicle.
"Quds News Network" journalist GHANNAM said that he was accompanied by activists BILAL GHARIB and AYMAN in the northern Jordan Valley area in the city of Tubas at 10:00AM on Thursday, for the purpose of documenting levelling operations in the "Sahl Al-Buqai’a" area, when they noticed that the driver of one of the bulldozers had stopped work and begun making phone calls while they were present at the location.
Journalist GHANNAM left the area with the activists, heading toward Bedouin and livestock-herder communities, but they were surprised to be pursued by settlers and occupation forces, who stopped and interrogated them in the field. The soldiers asked them why they were in the area and claimed it was a "military zone", despite their having reached it via roads customarily used by farmers.
When GHANNAM identified himself as a journalist and showed his press card, one of the soldiers forced him and those with him to lie on the ground, bound them, and blindfolded them; they searched the mobile phones and reviewed the filmed material documenting the levelling operations in the area, before transferring them to another military post.
The soldiers confiscated the vehicle they had been travelling in and then released them at around 3:00PM, that is, after five (5) hours of detention.
(29th June) Occupation soldiers prevented journalist RAGHAD ABU SAFIYA from covering a raid on a house in the town of "Jayyous", east of the city of Qalqilya, and threatened to open fire on her if she did not leave the location.
"Quds News Network" journalist RAGHAD TAWFIQ SALAH ABU SAFIYA (28 years old) told MADA that she went to the town of "Jayyous", east of the city of Qalqilya, at around 6:00PM on Monday, after learning of the presence of special forces in the town.
The journalist was wearing press attire (a vest and helmet) and was standing at a distance of 100 (one hundred) meters from three (3) military vehicles, with soldiers standing beside them after they had raided a house.
When the soldier saw her, he began shouting at her, and all the soldiers drew their weapons and aimed them at her, threatening to open fire if she did not withdraw from the area.
Although she told them she was a journalist, their threats continued loudly to open fire, and they demanded that she leave the location.
(29th June) Israeli occupation forces arrested journalist SOAD AL-KHAWAJA from her home in the city of Ramallah at dawn on Monday, on a charge of incitement via social media, and took her to the "Telem" police station.
According to a statement given to MADA by her brother, a force from the Israeli occupation army raided the home of freelance journalist SOAD NADER KAMEL AL-KHAWAJA’s family in the "Al-Mou’allimeen" area of the city of Ramallah in the early hours of dawn on Monday, 29th June 2026, searched the house, and then arrested the journalist and took her to an unknown location.
The following morning, the family learned that their daughter was being held at the "Telem" police station, west of the city of Hebron, and that the charge brought against her during interrogation was "incitement via social media”.
It should be noted that journalist AL-KHAWAJA had previously been arrested by occupation authorities during March 2026 and was released in early May 2026.
