During the monthly report on the state of press freedoms in September 2023, the Journalists Support Committee monitored more than (88) violations against media freedoms and journalists, including (61) Israeli violations, and (14) violations by Palestinian internal parties and unknown persons, in addition to recording more Of (13) cases of violations by social media companies, within the framework of combating Palestinian digital content.
The Israeli occupation forces committed a total of (18) cases of attacks on journalists, as sixteen journalists were injured in the Gaza Strip, including the injury of freelance journalist Ashraf Abu Amra, who was seriously injured in his hand, as a result of the Israeli occupation directly throwing poisonous and incendiary gas bombs at them. Two cases were also recorded. In the West Bank and in the city of Jaffa in the occupied territories.
While the occupation forces arrested, detained and deported more than (10) journalists, including the arrest of the Jerusalemite photographer Ahmed Abu Sobeih, Dujana Ali Abu Al-Rub, and journalist Abdul Rahman Al-Alami, and the deportation of media activist Alaa Al-Sous for two weeks from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
In continuation to obscure the occupation’s crimes against citizens, the occupation forces, with the participation of settlers, prevented a number of journalists from practicing their work. The committee recorded more than (25) cases of preventing and obstructing journalists’ coverage.
In addition, the report showed that it monitored a number of (5) cases of confiscating journalists’ identity and press cards while preventing them from practicing their professional work and exposing the crimes of the occupation. It also recorded (1) a case of threats with weapons, (2) a camera being destroyed in the occupied West Bank, and a journalist’s vehicle in the Gaza Strip.
Regarding the fight against Palestinian content, activist journalists and their media sites were subjected to an attack on digital media through the applications of “WhatsApp,” “Tik Tok,” “Facebook,” “Instagram,” and other social media sites, after accounts were closed and restricted and social media site administrations banned. Under pressure by the Israeli occupation on more than (13) accounts and pages for journalists and media sites, it varied in deleting and restricting “WhatsApp” for more than (8) journalists and media sites, recording (2) cases of deletion on Tik Tok, and (1) case of closure on the platform. Instagram, in addition to recording (2) cases on Facebook, which included deleting the page of journalist Tamer Al-Mashal, who later restored his page.
