The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns the attacks on Reuter’s photographer Nayef Alhishlmon and several Palestinian journalists this morning in Safa village (Hebron) by the Israeli occupation forces.

Alhishlmon said that he was covering voluntary work by Palestinians, Israelis and international group in solidarity with the village of Safa this morning, when one of the Israeli soldiers severely beat him in the chest and his right hand, he fell on the ground and one of his cameras broke. The occupation forces have prevented the access of the ambulance to the place, where he stayed about half an hour lying on the ground, suffering from severe pain in the heart area, and then his brother Najeh with the help of other journalists transferred him to Alia hospital in the city of Hebron for treatment.

Najeh who is freelance photographer said that he and Agency France Press photographer Hazem Bader, Reuters cameraman Yusri Aljamal and his assistant Mamoun Wazwaz and Associated Press cameraman Fadi Hamad and EPA photographer Abdul Hafeez Alhishlmon were pushed and kicked by the soldiers .

MADA considers this new attack on Palestinian journalist’s flagrant violation of media freedom, and calls upon the international community to put pressure on the Government of Israel to stop its violations of media freedoms in Palestine.