The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate stated that Hebrew media outlets played a direct role in inciting the targeting of Palestinian journalists and disseminating narratives aimed at dehumanizing Palestinian civilians. The incitement methods included labeling journalists as terrorists, defaming their reputations, legitimizing killings, and controlling independent media access to conflict zones.
According to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency, today, Sunday, the Syndicate added, through a press report by the Press Freedom Committee, that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli media has witnessed a widespread escalation in its rhetoric toward Palestinian journalists and civilians in the Gaza Strip.
International reports and local investigations revealed that the Israeli army, in coordination with Hebrew media outlets, has resorted to falsely linking Palestinian journalists to armed factions, in a move to justify targeting them. In this context, +972 magazine documented the existence of a military unit specializing in providing misleading information about Palestinian journalists to justify airstrikes and field attacks.
Among the most prominent victims were journalists falsely accused of belonging to armed factions, including Hamza al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, who were martyred on January 7, 2024, while carrying out their field reporting. The report documented examples, such as how Channel 14 played a prominent role in spreading incitement.
Presenter Shimon Riklin expressed his desire for further destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, while presenter Katie Shitrit stated that if she were in a decision-making position, she would wipe Gaza out. Journalist Danny Newman declared that 100,000 Palestinians should be killed within the first two days of any attack. Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 13 (News 13) broadcast reports falsely accusing Palestinian journalists of belonging to armed groups, while journalist Tzvika Yehezkel directly incited the targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists.
The report pointed to incidents such as the appearance of other media figures in field coverage carrying weapons, such as Eli Aviv of Channel 14, and Danny Kashmaro of Channel 12, who participated in coverage that included a house bombing and considered it a journalistic achievement. These practices reinforced the image of the media as a tool for participating in war, rather than simply reporting events.
With regard to the Hebrew press, the report demonstrated how the newspaper Israel Hayom adopted an extremist discourse supporting Israeli government policies, with journalists publishing statements that observers considered inflammatory, such as the claim that Palestinians deserve a painful death.
The newspaper Makor Rishon, headed by Hagai Segal, played a similar role in promoting hate speech against Palestinians, while websites such as Ynet, Walla, and Maariv uncritically republished army accounts, falsely accusing Palestinian journalists of belonging to armed factions.
The report also highlighted the institutional restrictions on media coverage that accompanied this incitement.
Military censorship imposed strict broadcast restrictions, and military escorts for foreign media outlets exercised complete control over what was allowed to be covered. Foreign journalists were prevented from entering independently, according to reports from the Foreign Press Association.
The report summarized the direct field effects of this abusive climate, with dozens of Palestinian journalists killed while carrying out their work, most recently five journalists killed in the bombing of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Others faced smear campaigns prior to their targeting, as was the case with journalist Anas al-Sharif.
The head of the Freedoms Committee at the Journalists Syndicate, Muhammad al-Lahham, stated that these facts confirm that the Hebrew media has not only been limited to reporting events, but has also become an active partner in inciting the killing of Palestinian civilians, through visual and written platforms that legitimize the targeting of journalists and suppress independent narratives.
This report constitutes documented journalistic material for publication and dissemination, and a primary basis for legal and human rights advocacy before international institutions.
Al-Lahham confirmed that the Syndicate will work with regional and international federations to publish a documented blacklist of Israeli journalists and their media outlets worldwide, as well as to appeal to the International Criminal Court and all courts whose legislation allows for such action.
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