A report on

The violations of the Israeli occupation forces against media freedom in the Gaza Strip

(May 11-15, 2021)

 Introduction

Starting on May 11, 2021, the Israeli military occupation forces carried out a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. During the first five days of this military aggression, that is, until May 15, the number of martyrs reached (122), including (32) children, constituting (26%) of the total number of martyrs and (20) women constituting (16%) of the total number of  martyrs The total number of injuries reached about (600) injuries of various degrees of severity, among them (129) children, making (21.5%) of the total number of injuries. (89) Women were injured, making (15%) of the total number of injuries. The number of houses targeted with bombing reached (35) houses, (3) towers, in addition to (6) schools and (3) mosques. ^([i])

According to data by the Ministry of Information in the Gaza Strip, the ongoing aggression resulted in damage to more than 500 housing units, ranging between total and partial demolition, and at least 1000 housing units were damaged with moderate to slight damage, while (52) offices were bombed. At the government level, damage varied between police and security he quarters and service facilities. (7) schools were severely damaged and more than (50) cars and private transportation vehicles were completely or partially destroyed, at the cost of over (70) million US dollars. ^([ii])

The relevant international conventions, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, prohibit attacking journalists and the media organizations during military operations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights affirm freedom of opinion and expression. Nonetheless, the Israeli occupation forces, during the ongoing aggression on Gaza Strip, are committing multiple violations against journalists working in the Gaza Strip.

The international legal framework for protecting journalists during armed conflict

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most important documents that attaches special importance to journalism work. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights^([iii]) did not explicitly mention the prohibition of violations against media freedom, Article (19) indicated that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights^([iv]) stipulated, in Article (19), that “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

 On the level of international humanitarian law, Article 79 of the First Protocol annexed to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 states: “ Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are protected as civilians, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians”. 

In the context of protecting journalists and media workers during armed conflicts, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. (2222/2015) ^([v]) in its meeting on May 27, 2015, in which it affirmed its resolutions (1265/1999), (1296/2000), (1674/2006) and (1894/2009) regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, and Resolution (1738/2006) regarding the protection of journalists, media workers, and associated personnel in armed conflicts.

The resolution included condemnation of all abuses and violations committed against journalists in situations of armed conflict, and considered journalists, media workers, and associated personnel who carry out their duties according to their profession in areas of armed conflict as civilians who must be respected and protected.

The reality of the violations of media freedoms in the Gaza Strip during the period (11-15 May 2021)

بلغ عدد انتهاكات الحريات الإعلامية المرصودة في قطاع غزة خلال الفترة (من 11- 15 أيار/مايو 2021) ما يقارب (50) انتهاكا، وقد تنوعت هذه الانتهاكات ضمن طائفة متعددة من أنماط الانتهاكات المرتبكة، حيث تسببت قوات الاحتلال الحربي بإصابة (8) صحفيين إصابات جسدية، معظمها بشظايا الصواريخ، تمثل (17%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات، و(4) حالات إصابة بالهلع والصدمة، تمثل (8%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات، كما قامت قوات الاحتلال بتدمير (26) مؤسسة صحفية بشكل كلي، تمثل (54%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات، و(2) مؤسسة صحفية بشكل جزئي، تمثل (4%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات، كما قامت قوات الاحتلال بقصف (6) منازل يقطنها صحفيون، تمثل (13%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات، والتسبب بأضرار جزئية لـ (1) سيارة لوكالة أنباء، تمثل (2%) من الانتهاكات، كما نفذت قوات الاحتلال عدد (1) هجمة اختراق إلكترونية بهدف إغلاق أو اختراق مواقع إخبارية فلسطينية، تمثل (2%) من إجمالي الانتهاكات ^([vi]).

The number of violations of media freedom amounted to nearly (50) violations. These cover violations monitored in the Gaza Strip during the period (11-15 May 2021). These violations varied within a variety of confusing patterns of violations, as the Israeli occupation forces inflicted injuries on (8) journalists, physical injuries, most of them with rocket shrapnel. This makes (17%) of the total violations. (4) Cases of panic and shock, which makes (8%) of the total violations. The occupation forces completely destroyed (26) press institutions, making (54) (%) Of the total violations, and partially destroyed (2) press institutions, which makes (4%) of the total violations. The Israeli occupation forces also bombed (6) homes inhabited by journalists, which makes (13%) of the total violations, and caused partial damage to a car for a news agency, which makes (2%) of the violations. The occupation forces also carried out a hacking attack with the aim of closing or hacking Palestinian news websites, which makes (2%) of the total violations ^([vii]).

Table No. 1))

Patterns of violations

Among the policies of the war aggression was the destruction of the infrastructure, homes and towers, most of which bear a character not only residential but also commercial. They housed offices for press institutions and agencies, and thus the press institutions were the most affected by this approach, as the number of targeted press institutions reached (26) While the number of journalists whose rights have been violated reached (24), most of them are male. [viii]

Table No. (2)

Distribution of violations

Gaza City, the economic and demographic center, is the scene of most violations of media freedoms, where (80%) of the violations were committed, and the rest of the violations were distributed to the other governorates in the Gaza Strip. [ix]

Details of the violations committed during the period 11 - 15 May 2021

1. On 5/11/2021, the house of the presenter at the local Al-Sha`ab radio station, Abdel-Hamid Abdel-Ati, was partially damaged as a result of the bombing of the Israeli F-16 warplanes at 8:47 pm, causing him and his family members to be in a state of panic, and windows were shattered.

2. On 5/11/2021, the Israeli occupation forces IOF bombed the (Al-Jawhara) tower in Gaza City. At 2:44 am, Israeli F-16 warplanes bombed the tower with two missiles, causing severe damage to all apartments in the tower. News agencies which have been damaged (The National Media Agency, Palestine Newspaper, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper, Al-Arabi Channel, Al-Ittijah TV, Al-Nujaba TV, Syrian Satellite Channel, Al-Kufiya Channel, Al-Mamlaka Channel, APA Local Agency, Sabq Agency 24, Media Forum, Gate 24), as well as the office Al-Jazeera near Al-Jawhara Tower that suffered damages including shattering of office windows and glass doors. In the same bombing, the home of the journalist Thaer Abu Al-Aoun, adjacent to the Al-Jawhara Tower, was severely damaged. The journalist indicated that he evacuated his house before the bombing and that the house of the journalist, Rawa Morshed, a worker at Rdio Zaman, was also damaged.

3. On 5/12/2021 at 1:06 AM, Al-Aqsa TV announced that its official website has been subjected to a cyber-attack by the Israeli occupation army, which caused the suspension of the website and live broadcasting services.

4. On 5/12/2021 at 6:09 am, the office of Masdar News Agency, located in the Al-Roya Building, was partially damaged because of the bombing of police stations adjacent to the office. The Red Cross Society evacuated the office staff, consisting of 4 journalists, to Al-Shifa Hospital, after suffering from collapse and suffocation.

5. On 5/12/2021, the Israeli occupation forces bombed (Al-Shorouk) tower at 6:40 am, which is a 13-floor commercial tower, located in the middle of Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City. The tower houses the offices of the following news agencies: Al-Quds Al-Youm satellite channel, satellite channel of Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Aqsa Radio, Al-Aqsa TV, Taif Radio and PMP, a media production services company, which provides services several satellite channels, including Russia Today, Dubai TV, and German TV.

6. On 5/13/2021, during the bombing of the Israeli occupation forces, at 01:29 am, in Gaza City, while the TRT crew was covering the air strikes, journalist Sami Barhoum suffered a panic attack and shrapnel injuries. His injury was described as moderate.

7. On 5/13/2021, at 08:43 am, the Israeli army bombed the Al-Walid building in Gaza City with 3 missiles, which led to its collapse. It is a building that includes two offices of the Record company, and Idea, which work in the field of digital media and documentary film production.

8. On 5/13/2021, at 7:30 pm, the Israeli occupation forces bombed Umm al-Nasr village in the northern Gaza Strip. The journalist Dawoud Abu al-Kass, who works as a photographer for Palestine Today and the journalists: Muhammad Al-Aloul and Mustafa Hassouna from the Andolu News Agency suffered the bombing. The bombing led to the injury of the journalists with shrapnel of glass because of shattering the windows of their car, which bears distinctive marks indicating that it is a press vehicle. It was a car for the Anadolu News Agency. The injured were taken to the Indonesian hospital for treatment. Their injury was described as minor.

9. On 05/14/2021, at 11:00 pm, the Israeli occupation forces directly bombed the house of journalist Sawah Ismail Abu Seif, the press photographer for the German TV office in the Gaza Strip, located in the town of Beit Lahia. This led to the damage of the house.

10. On May 14, 2021, the house of the journalist, director of Al-Mayadeen Media Agency, Faris Marwan Al-Ghoul and the mother of the owner of the company, Marwan Al-Ghoul, a company that provides satellite broadcasting services, located in the Beit Lahiya area, was subjected to direct bombardment with two missiles, by the Israeli occupation forces. The house was severely damaged.

11. On 5/15/2021, the Israeli occupation forces bombed the Al-Galaa Tower at 2:00 p.m. which is an 11-storey tower that houses the offices of a number of media institutions and companies, such as: Al-Jazeera Media Network, Al-Jazeera Radio, the Prisoners Radio, Al-Quds Radio, Al Mayadeen Media company, the Associated Press, and Al-Istiqlal Newspaper. The shrapnel of the bombing injured the journalist Mouin Al-Dabba in the face. His injury was described as minor.

Recommendations

The Geneva Conventions, the two additional protocols and the provisions of the Statute of the International Criminal Court all constitutional provisions for the protection of journalists. Therefore, the practices of the Israeli occupation against journalists require calling on the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to act for stopping violations against media freedom committed by the Israeli occupation and pressure to initiate measures to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for violating the rules of international humanitarian law.

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