Union for Justice: Israel Killed 14 Palestinian Journalists and Arrested 3 in August
September 2, 2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated that the Israeli occupation forces killed 14 Palestinian journalists in August, all working in the Gaza Strip, including three female journalists, making it one of the bloodiest months for Palestinian media workers. This brings the total number of journalists killed since October 7, 2023, to 247.
The Foundation added: “The Israeli targeting of Palestinian journalists cannot be considered isolated or exceptional incidents, but rather part of a systematic and deliberate policy aimed at preventing the transmission of the truth about the atrocities and violations committed by Israel — whether in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank — in an attempt to silence witnesses, prevent the world from knowing the truth, and impose the occupation’s narrative.”
The Foundation noted that what is happening in Gaza can be described as the deadliest war against journalism in modern history, emphasizing that the journalists who were killed were well known for their professionalism, and some had been directly threatened by the occupation because of their coverage of the daily realities of the war.
The statement continued: “Palestinian journalists are fulfilling their professional and moral duty to convey the truth to the world, and targeting them constitutes a war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and of the conventions that protect journalists.”
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed in a statement that Israeli media outlets and journalists play a direct role in inciting violence against Palestinian journalists by labeling them as “terrorists” or as belonging to armed factions.
The Syndicate cited Israel’s Channel 13 (News 13) for broadcasting several reports falsely accusing Palestinian journalists of belonging to armed groups, while Israeli journalist Zvi Yehezkeli directly incited the targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists.
Mass Execution of Journalists
The Union for Justice Foundation reviewed the systematic killings carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against journalists during the month of August.
On August 2, journalist Marwa Muslim was killed when an Israeli airstrike targeted her home in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Marwa worked for Al-Shabab Radio, a local station, and was known as one of the promising young media voices in the Gaza Strip.
On August 4, Ismail Al-Mabhouh, a journalist with Voice of Palestine Radio, was killed in an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip. On August 10, Israeli warplanes bombed a journalists’ tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of Al Jazeera correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Quraiqa, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zahir and Mohammed Noufal.
Before his assassination, Anas Al-Sharif had been subjected to a deliberate media incitement campaign by the Israeli authorities. The Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee published several videos stripping Al-Sharif of his journalist identity and accusing him of belonging to the military wing of Hamas.
On August 18, journalist Islam Al-Koumi was killed when Israeli artillery shelled the Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza. On August 23, Khaled Al-Madhoun, a cameraman for Palestine TV in Gaza, was killed after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in the northern Gaza Strip. On August 25, four journalists were killed when an Israeli airstrike targeted Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. They were:
– Hossam Al-Masri, cameraman for Palestine TV and Reuters;
– Mohammed Salama, cameraman for Al Jazeera;
– Maryam Abu Daqqa, journalist working with The Independent and Associated Press;
– Muath Abu Taha, journalist with NBC News (U.S.).
Several other journalists were injured in the massacre, including:
– Hatem Omar, photojournalist with Reuters;
– Jamal Baddah, photojournalist with Palestine Today TV.
On the same day, a fifth journalist joined his four colleagues who had been killed hours earlier — Hassan Douhan, correspondent for Al-Hayat Al-Jadida newspaper in Gaza, was killed by Israeli fire while in a displacement tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
On August 31, Islam Abed, a journalist for Al-Quds Al-Youm TV, was killed when an Israeli strike targeted her family home in Gaza City, killing her, her husband, and their children.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza work under extremely harsh conditions. They suffer from exhaustion and hunger like the rest of the population, remain separated from their families for long periods, and often have to interrupt their reporting to help recover bodies from under the rubble and transport the wounded.
Journalists in the Strip also endure repeated displacement, forced to move from place to place in compliance with evacuation orders issued periodically by the Israeli army.
The Union for Justice Foundation warned that the continued Israeli targeting of journalists in Gaza at this rate threatens the extinction of an entire generation of journalists across different age groups.
It stressed that the deliberate and brutal killing of journalists by the occupation aims to terrorize the remaining reporters, forcing them to abandon the profession altogether — ultimately ensuring that no one dares to convey the horrific truth of what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
Arrest of Journalists in the West Bank
Alongside the systematic killings of journalists in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation continues to carry out arrests and ongoing persecution against journalists working in the West Bank. During August, the Israeli army arrested three journalists, including one woman.
On August 6, the army arrested journalist Farah Abu Ayyash (24 years old) after raiding her home in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron Governorate.
On August 20, Israeli forces arrested wounded journalist Muath Amarna while he was driving along the road connecting Bethlehem and Hebron.
Amarna had previously been injured on November 15, 2019, when he was hit in the left eye by a rubber-coated metal bullet fired by Israeli forces while covering clashes in the town of Surif, northwest of Hebron — an injury that caused permanent loss of vision in that eye.
He was also subjected to nine months of administrative detention, beginning on October 16, 2023, during which he was denied adequate medical care for his condition, in addition to suffering from diabetes.
On August 28, occupation forces arrested journalist Aseed Amarna from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp, south of Bethlehem, after stopping his vehicle at a military checkpoint near the village of Dar Salah.
The Union for Justice Foundation called on international organizations, foremost among them the United Nations, to take an urgent and decisive stance to halt the killings and ongoing incitement against Palestinian journalists.
The Foundation also urged international bodies to ensure protection for Palestinian journalists and to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which concerns the protection of journalists during armed conflicts.
