World Press Freedom Day: Gaza journalists say nothing to celebrate

Journalists describe their profession as not only endangered, but also as being “burned alive on air.” (Photo By IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Anadolu, Philippine News Agency

GAZA CITY – As the world observed World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Palestinian journalists in Gaza are enduring one of the darkest chapters in press history.

In the besieged enclave, cameras have become targets and words can cost lives as Israel’s genocidal war rages on.

What once was a mission to report the truth has become a daily risk of death. Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 212 Palestinian journalists have been killed — most while reporting in the field or in their homes during airstrikes — according to official and local statistics.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights recently confirmed it is the highest number of journalist deaths recorded globally in a single conflict since 1992.

Journalists describe their profession as not only endangered, but also as being “burned alive on air.”

Cry for justice

Sami Shahadeh, a journalist who lost his leg in an Israeli airstrike and is barred from leaving Gaza for medical treatment, described the media landscape as a war zone.

“Carrying a camera is now a cause for fear,” he told Anadolu. “There’s a deliberate campaign of distortion and targeting against Palestinian journalists. This isn’t random — it’s systemic.”

Shahadeh, like many of his peers, believes international institutions have failed them.

“We deserve the right to carry our cameras, to share the truth,” he said. “It’s time for international courts to enforce the laws meant to protect us.”

Ramzi Mahmoud, another journalist collaborating with Anadolu, survived the conflict but lost 19 family members, including his wife, daughter, mother and sisters, when Israeli bombs destroyed his home.

“I still haven’t been able to recover their bodies,” he said. “On World Press Freedom Day, there is nothing to celebrate. The genocide continues. The silence of international institutions is deafening.”

Not collateral, a deliberate target

For journalist Mutia Mosbah, the targeting of media workers is part of a broader strategy to silence the Palestinian narrative.

“This is not a coincidence. This is a calculated effort to eliminate the press,” he stated, adding: “Despite this, we remain determined to continue our mission.”

At a gathering point for journalists in Gaza City, young reporter Mohammed Jarbouh held a microphone and echoed the same plea: “We lost reporters and cameramen in every province but we are here to carry on their message. Stop the war. Let us tell the story.”

Gaza: World’s deadliest place for journalists

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said Gaza has become “one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.”

He told Anadolu that they believe Israel is “deliberately killing journalists” in Gaza to suppress reporting from the ground.

The Gaza Government Media Office reported that at least 409 media workers have been injured, 48 arrested, and 21 influential social media journalists killed. The office also said 28 journalist families have been wiped out entirely, and 44 homes belonging to media professionals have been damaged or destroyed.

Estimated losses to Gaza’s media sector have reached $400 million, including the destruction of news agencies, broadcast equipment and training centers.

“These are not random incidents,” said Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the media office. “This is a calculated campaign to dismantle the media sector and extinguish voices documenting the genocide.”

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and other rights organizations say the attacks constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Plea for protection

Journalists in Gaza are calling on the international community for basic protection: legal safeguards, secure communication tools, protective equipment, and above all, the right to live and report freely.

As 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza endure hunger, thirst, and relentless violence, its journalists continue to brave the frontline not just to tell the world what is happening but also to prove they are still here, resisting with cameras and words.

“It’s time the world hears our cry,” said Mahmoud. “Protect the storytellers, because without them there will be no story left to tell.”