Journalists in Palestine under threat by Israeli forces

Palestine

Published: 2018-04-08 12:28

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 07:20


Yasser Murtaja during hisduneral in Gaza on Saturday.
Yasser Murtaja during hisduneral in Gaza on Saturday.

At least 28 violations by the Israeli forces against Palestinian journalists and foreign press working in the Palestinian territories have been recorded during March 2018, according to a report by the Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA).

The report added that 16 journalists were either shot, injured, suffered suffocation or were beaten during the aforementioned period by Israeli soldiers in several areas in Palestine. The report also said that 14 other journalists were arrested, detained or fired at by Israeli soldiers.

The latest victim of Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists was 30-year-old photographer Yaser Murtaja, who was shot in the stomach while covering Friday’s “Great Return March” in Gaza. He succumbed to his wounds on Saturday morning.


 

Read More: A life taken too soon: Gazan journalist shot dead by Israel


 

While Israel claims to only shoot at anyone who approaches the Strip’s border fence, Yaser, who was wearing a flak jacket with a clear “PRESS” marking on it, was shot while filming with his camera, according to Hosam Salem, his friend and colleague, who was working alongside him when he fell to the ground.

As Yaser became a global news headline on Saturday, the Israeli government rushed to deny its intention to deliberately target journalists. It said that the circumstances in which the journalists were allegedly hit by Israeli fire were “being looked into.”