The Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) said in a report, on Sunday, it has documented 27 violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces against journalists and media institutions in the occupied Palestinian territories, during January 2020.
The violations included use of live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear-gas canisters against journalists, as well as physical beatings and arrests.
WAFA said 14 journalists were injured either by live fire or rubber-coated steel rounds, suffocated by tear-gas or beaten by Israeli forces, while 13 journalists were either arrested or targeted by Israeli gunfire but not injured. Other journalists had their press card revoked by Israeli soldiers.
January 6 – Israeli soldiers assaulted several journalists covering the dismantling of residential and agricultural facilities by the Israeli army, in the village of al-Auja, north of Jericho, central occupied West Bank.
January 13 – Israeli intelligence summoned photojournalist Abdul-Muhsen Shalaldeh for questioning and threatened to murder him, in the event he continued photographing near the flashpoint Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, southern West Bank.
January 19 – Israeli soldiers smashed the door and continued to storm the home of Muammar Orabi, editor-in-chief of the local Wattan news agency. Soldiers arrested Orabi’s son, Osama, after severely beating him.
January 24 – Israeli police invaded the home of journalist Abdul-Karim Darwish, in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Darwish was arrested and interrogated for a number of hours regarding his work in journalism. He was only released on bail, on condition that he stay away from Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for 10 days.
January 25 – Israeli soldiers invaded the home of journalist Tha’er al-Sharif, attacked him with pepper spray, and arrested him, releasing him the next day.
The report concluded;
“The series of violations against journalists continues, with the goal of hiding the crimes committed against innocent, defenseless civilians in Palestine. These attacks against journalists are considered a direct violation of international law.”
See also: MADA: 27 Violations against Media Freedoms in January
