West Bank journalists faced 108 attacks in July, syndicate says

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate documented 108 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian journalists and media workers in the occupied West Bank during July, its Freedoms Committee said in a statement on Sunday.

The reported violations included detention, beatings, interrogation, interference with coverage and the seizure or destruction of press equipment, which the committee said has made it increasingly difficult to document military raids and settler violence.

Detentions and attacks dominated the tally

Brief detentions and restrictions on reporting were the most common violations, accounting for 58 recorded cases. The committee also documented 11 settler attacks, including physical assaults, shoving and threats, mostly while journalists covered settler attacks and military raids elsewhere in the West Bank.

Israeli forces fired stun grenades or tear gas at journalists in 12 cases, causing some journalists to suffocate. Six journalists were beaten, while four sustained bleeding injuries while covering developments in Gaza, including injuries from shrapnel.

Related coverage: The groups and systems behind West Bank settler attacks.

Raids, interrogations and equipment seizures

Two journalists were detained and four were interrogated about their reporting. The syndicate also recorded four raids on journalists’ homes or media offices, including the closure of one outlet.

Three cases involved equipment being confiscated or destroyed, two involved deleted footage, and two journalists were expelled from the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The July cases add to a wider toll

The syndicate said the July total contributes to a record that rights groups already consider the deadliest in history for journalists. Those groups have documented more than 270 journalists killed amid Israeli attacks and a sweeping campaign of arbitrary press detentions since October 2023.

More context: Two paramedics among six Palestinians hurt across West Bank.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called for journalists to work “free from threats, attacks and pursuit” and demanded accountability for those responsible. Al Jazeera said 12 of its journalists have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s campaign in 2023.