80 Palestinian journalists detained by Israel since Oct. 7: NGO

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israel has detained 80 Palestinian journalists since the start of its onslaught on the Gaza Strip last Oct. 7, a local nongovernmental organization said on Sunday.

Some 49 journalists remain in Israeli custody, including four women reporters, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement.

“The occupation authorities escalate its policy of arresting journalists, alongside threats, physical assaults, and ongoing legal proceedings,” it added.

The NGO warned that the detained journalists “are subjected to retaliatory and punitive measures, including torture, humiliation, starvation, and systematic medical negligence."

It called on all international human rights institutions “to fulfil their responsibilities regarding the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against prisoners and detainees."

At least 147 journalists and media professionals have been killed by Israeli army fire since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, killing more than 36,400 people, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and injuring over 82,600 others, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi