Journalists: August witnessed the martyrdom of 8 journalists and a significant increase in their targeting in the West Bank

Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed the escalation in targeting journalists with live bullets in the West Bank and with missiles from aircraft in the Gaza Strip. In a press report on the occupation's crimes against journalists last August, issued by the Syndicate's Freedoms Committee, it was noted that the occupation forces continued to systematically target journalists, as 8 journalists were martyred last August, all of them in the Gaza Strip, 7 of them by missile attack and one by gunfire. The report recorded serious incidents related to the increase in direct shooting at press crews, especially in the West Bank, with the aim of intimidating and preventing them from covering the occupation's crimes against citizens. The Freedoms Committee documented 10 incidents in the West Bank and 3 in the Gaza Strip of the occupation army firing live bullets directly, which put the lives of journalists at risk, as 62 cases were reported. Last month witnessed 10 similar cases. The repor t indicated that these incidents resulted in 4 injuries that were transferred to hospitals, including 3 bloody injuries, while one of the cameras was destroyed by bullets. Last August also witnessed a significant increase in the excessive use of toxic tear gas, which affected 36 journalists, some of whom were transferred to hospitals to receive treatment due to severe suffocation. The detention of crews and preventing them from working continues to be practiced by the Israeli occupation army, with 21 cases recorded in this regard in the West Bank. Direct running over and attempted running over crimes by the occupation army also increased, with 5 cases recorded, while 6 cases of arrest were recorded, 7 cases were recorded by the courts, and 2 cases of summons for investigation were recorded. The report also showed two cases of equipment destruction, one case of travel ban, in addition to other cases of crimes, assaults and violations such as physical and verbal assault and threats. Thus, the total number of crimes, attacks and violations against journalists reached 153 cases. The report warned that all data indicates a clear lack of control and a free hand by the occupation army, based on a political decision, in targeting journalists, which reflects the commission of serious and major crimes against journalists, as a prelude to committing crimes against citizens in the West Bank and escalating the genocide against citizens in the Gaza Strip. It is worth noting that the number of martyrs among those working in the field of journalism reached 163 victims, including 102 last year and 61 this year until the end of August, according to monitoring and documentation by the Freedoms Committee of the Journalists Syndicate. Source: Maan News Agency