Report: Israel committed 811 violations against Palestinian journalists in 2018

Palestinian journalists hold posters of Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qiq who was imprisoned in an Israeli jail during a protest in support of his hunger strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza strip on 7 February 2016 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Apaimages]

from Middle East Monitor

The Palestinian Ministry of Information said Israel has committed 811 violations against Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2018.

The ministry said in a report yesterday that its monitoring unit has documented 282 violations in the Gaza Strip and 529 violations in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

In its report, the ministry documented the killing of two journalists, Yaser Murtaja and Ahmed Abu Hussein, by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry also documented 345 incidents of physical assaults on journalists and 162 incidents in which journalists appeared in court.

The report explained that the Israeli army has wounded 80 journalists while covering the “Great March of Return” since March.

Israeli authorities have prevented 100 journalists from performing their duties while the Israeli army closed and threatened to close 54 media institutions, the report said, adding that the army has raided 58 media institutions and their equipment was destroyed.

In November, the Israeli army destroyed the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV channel in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, 48 Palestinian journalists were tortured in prisons, and 42 others were banned from traveling.

According to the report, the month of May witnessed the highest number of violations against journalists in the West Bank and Gaza.

A view shows the remains of Al-Aqsa TV building, which was destroyed by Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City, November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem