Ramallah- 28/09/2026 MADA: More than 300 Palestinian journalists killed since the start of the war of extermination; continued targeting of the press requires effective protection and accountability
Ramallah – 26th September 2026: September 26 of each year marks the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Journalist, an occasion established by the International Federation of Journalists in 1996 to shed light on the reality faced by Palestinian journalists and the violations they are subjected to, and to affirm their right to practice their profession freely and safely.
This day comes this year amid the continuation of extremely dangerous conditions under which Palestinian journalists work, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where journalists have paid a heavy price during the war of extermination that has continued since October 7, 2023. According to documentation by the MADA Center, more than 300 journalists have been killed during this period, in one of the deadliest periods Palestinian journalistic work has witnessed.
The violations are not limited to killing; Palestinian journalists also face arrest and detention, physical injury and assault, prevention from covering events, confiscation or destruction of equipment, threats and pursuit, in addition to the destruction of journalists' homes, their displacement, and the targeting of their family members. According to data published in August 2026, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club Association reported that approximately 40 Palestinian journalists were being held in Israeli prisons, and that more than 250 journalists had been arrested or detained since the start of the war, including those who were later released.
The targeting has also extended to media institutions and the infrastructure of the media sector, through the destruction of media headquarters and offices, and the targeting of homes and properties associated with journalists, alongside restrictions imposed on press coverage and access to information. Human rights and media bodies have also documented cases of targeting equipment, broadcast frequencies, websites, and various media outlets.
In this context, the MADA Center affirms that the protection of journalists cannot be reduced to the provision of safety equipment while on duty but rather requires ensuring an environment that allows them to practice their profession without being killed, arrested, threatened, or prevented from covering events, and guaranteeing their right to access information and convey it to the public.
MADA emphasizes that the continued impunity for crimes committed against journalists weakens the system of protection for the press and encourages the continuation of violations. Accordingly, the MADA Center renews its call for independent and transparent investigations into the killing, injury, and arrest of journalists, and for holding those responsible for these violations accountable under international law, and for guaranteeing the right of victims and their families to access justice.
The Center also calls on the international community and international institutions concerned with press freedom and human rights to shoulder their responsibilities in protecting Palestinian journalists, to exert pressure to stop the violations against them, to ensure the access of journalists and media outlets to the Gaza Strip, and to enable the media to perform its role in reporting events and documenting violations.
On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Journalist, MADA renews its solidarity with Palestinian journalists and media workers, honors the memory of those who lost their lives while carrying out their mission, and affirms that the protection of journalists is not a privilege, but a legal obligation and a fundamental condition for guaranteeing press freedom and the public's right to knowledge and access to information.
