The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has confirmed that the Israeli army abducted at least 100 Palestinian journalists in occupied Palestine since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
In a statement, the syndicate’s Freedoms Committee stated that, out of the 100 imprisoned journalists, there are 10 female reporters, including four who are still imprisoned.
The statement indicated that November of last year, 2023, witnessed the most violations against journalists when about 50 journalists were arbitrarily abducted, while at least 40 of them are still in Israeli prisons.
The PJS added that most of the journalists were assaulted at the time of their abduction, including journalists who were sick or injured and did not receive any sort of medical treatment and health follow-up, an issue that posed further risks to their lives.
It also said that the detainees face constant abuse, denied basic rights, and many are tortured and the soldiers threaten to harm their families, in addition to being denied the most basic rights, such as family visits and visits with their lawyers.
Also, Israel continues to deny visits from the Red Cross or any human rights group in direction violations of International Law and the Geneva Conventions.
Furthermore, the statement revealed that about 13 journalists have been in Israeli prisons since before October 7, 2023, and that most of the imprisoned journalists are held under Arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial.
The Syndicate warned about the unknown fate of many imprisoned journalists, whom the soldiers kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, as nobody has any information about them, and the absence of accountability continues to enable Israel to escalate its violations.
The Syndicate stated that some of the detainees, whose fate and whereabouts remain unknown, are Nidal Al-Wahidi, Haitham Abul-Wahid, Emad Al-Efranji, and Mohammad Arab.
The Syndicate’s statement called on the United Nations Secretary-General, UNESCO, the International Federation of Journalists, and all related legal and human rights groups to intervene and end the Israeli violations.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army killed more than 140 Palestinian Journalists, in addition to dozens who remain missing, in the Gaza Strip, since October 7, in addition to killing many members of the journalists’ families.
