Hamas has reaffirmed that the voice of the Palestinian journalist will remain stronger than the bullets of the Israeli occupation, stressing that Israel’s systematic crimes have failed to silence the truth or erase the Palestinian narrative.

Marking Palestinian Journalist Loyalty Day on December 31, Hamas said the commemoration comes amid an ongoing genocidal war against the Gaza Strip that has lasted for two full years. Since October 7, 2023, at least 257 Palestinian journalists have been killed, making Israel’s assault on Gaza the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history.

In its statement, Hamas said the war has fully exposed the Israeli occupation as one of the gravest enemies of journalism and freedom of expression. Palestinian journalists, it noted, have stood on the front lines of truth, documenting massacres, revealing war crimes, and dismantling the occupation’s false narratives and propaganda, which have collapsed in the face of undeniable evidence.

“Palestinian Journalist Loyalty Day, designated in 2010, is a tribute to journalists who have sacrificed their lives to convey reality to the world and to defend the Palestinian narrative in the struggle against occupation,” the statement said.

Hamas paid tribute to the “martyrs of truth,” offered prayers for wounded journalists, and renewed demands for the release of media workers abducted and imprisoned in Israeli jails. It also called on international human rights and humanitarian organizations to intensify efforts to expose Israeli crimes against journalists and to pursue accountability through international legal mechanisms.

Journalists Killed in Displacement Tents

The statement comes as new findings by the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reveal the extent of Israel’s deliberate targeting of media workers. According to the Syndicate, at least 44 Palestinian journalists were killed while sheltering in displacement tents in the Gaza Strip—part of a total toll exceeding 270 journalists and media workers slain since October 2023.

The report documented that many journalists were taking refuge near hospitals and United Nations facilities when Israeli airstrikes and sniper fire directly targeted their tents. The Syndicate described these attacks as part of a systematic campaign aimed at destroying Gaza’s media infrastructure, including the bombing of press offices and the killing of journalists in their homes, workplaces, and temporary shelters.

The Syndicate stressed that such actions constitute war crimes under Article 79 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which guarantees civilian protection to journalists. It added that strikes on displacement tents near hospitals and schools amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law and the protections afforded to humanitarian zones.

Investigations found no evidence of military activity in or around the targeted tents, directly refuting Israeli claims of accidental strikes. The use of precision-guided weapons in crowded civilian areas, the report said, “reflects a calculated intent to silence witnesses, suppress documentation, and conceal crimes.”

Calls for Justice and Protection

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called for the establishment of an independent international commission to investigate Israel’s targeting of journalists and urged the International Criminal Court to activate accountability mechanisms for war crimes.

It also appealed to UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists to work toward creating protected zones and safe corridors for displaced media workers in Gaza, while preserving a comprehensive legal archive to support future prosecutions.

The report recalled the August airstrike in which six Palestinian journalists, including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif, were killed when Israel bombed a tent sheltering journalists outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital. The attack sparked international outrage and renewed demands for accountability.

Press freedom organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have warned that Israel’s war on Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists on record. Despite bombardment, displacement, and siege, Palestinian journalists continue to report from the ruins—bearing witness, defending the truth, and affirming that the Palestinian story cannot be silenced. (ILKHA)