Journalists in Gaza rally for colleagues held in Israeli prisons

A group of journalists in Gaza staged a protest on Monday, in support of colleagues held in Israeli prisons, calling for their release and highlighting the challenges faced by media workers during the war.

Speaking outside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) building, journalist and former Palestinian prisoner Imad Al-Ifrenci said Israel had detained more than 140 Palestinian journalists from Gaza since the war began, with around 50 still in prison. He said five of those detained were women.

Al-Ifrenci stressed that Palestinian journalists should not be left alone and said stronger solidarity was needed at the national and international levels for their release.

Another journalist Hamis Abu Husayra also called on the ICRC and international organizations, saying the fate of detained journalists should be disclosed and concrete steps should be taken to secure their release.

He said journalists were being targeted because they documented and reported what was happening in Gaza to the world.

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Journalist Henadi Abu Harbid said Palestinian journalists had faced killings, detention and persecution for documenting events in Gaza. She urged the international community to pressure Israel to disclose the fate of detained journalists and release them.

Around 4,127 violations against Palestinian journalists were documented between October 2023 and the end of June 2026, including the arrest of 193 journalists and the destruction of 187 media institutions and 140 journalists’ homes, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said in late July.

More than 41% of the violations involved preventing media coverage or detaining press crews.

The report also documented the killing of eight journalists between January and June this year, bringing the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, to 264.

According to data from Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, more than 9,400 Palestinians, including 350 children and 73 women, are being held in Israeli prisons. Rights groups say detainees are subjected to torture, starvation and medical neglect, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians.

Since Oct. 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 173,000 others, according to Palestinian figures.

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