Armed Israeli settlers beat Jaafar Ashtiyeh, the photographer who took this image, in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered the settler violence against the olive farmers.

Asira al-Qibliya, West Bank

Palestinian farmers try to extinguish fires on their land after Israeli soldiers fired teargas at them as they harvested their olives, resulting in the dry fields catching fire, in the village of Asira al-Qibliya. Armed Israeli settlers beat Jaafar Ashtiyeh, the photographer who took this image, in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered the settler violence against the olive farmers. Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for AFP in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers despite him being marked as pressPhotograph: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/oct/09/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures?CMP=share_btn_url#img-8

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[Palestinian photographer] Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against [Palestinian] olive farmers when [Israeli] settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles   

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank

Israel was the world’s leading killer of journalists in 2025, and has killed at least 225 journalists in Lebanon and Gaza, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Israeli settlers beat press photographer as soldiers watch in West Bank- Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles

West Bank  in The Guardian

William Christou in Jerusalem and agencies

Tue 6 Oct 2026

Armed Israeli settlers beat a photographer in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered worsening settler violence against olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.

Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for Agence France-Presse in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers, who beat him with the butts of their rifles, despite him being marked as press. He was assaulted in view of about a dozen armed Israeli soldiers.

Ashtiyeh suffered bruises to his head and torso and was taken to hospital, according to witnesses, his family and fellow journalists.

His assault came amid a worsening wave of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. Every year, settlers attack Palestinian farmers trying to harvest their olives – an economic lifeline for the beleaguered Palestinian economy – with few legal consequences.

This harvest season has been particularly violent as the Israeli elections approach at the end of the month.

Ashtiyeh and another AFP photographer, John Wessels, were near the northern village of Aqraba when they noticed an Israeli soldier detaining a man as local Palestinians picked olives.

A quad bike suddenly raced towards the AFP journalists on top of a hill and a man on it opened live fire, with one Palestinian dropping to the ground. He was also hospitalised, with a gunshot to the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

At least six other people then rushed towards the AFP journalists firing guns. As Ashtiyeh attempted to enter a car, which was clearly marked “Press”, two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with the butts of their rifles.

A group of at least a dozen Israeli soldiers were about 500 metres away at the time of the attack, according to Wessels.

“I could hear his screams,” said Wessels, who was also threatened at gunpoint. The assailants also took Ashtiyeh’s camera equipment.

Ashtiyeh, who is Palestinian, was conscious in a hospital in Nablus. He underwent X-rays which did not detect broken bones but he will remain in hospital for round-the-clock observation, his son, Zain Jaafar, said.

The man who initially fired the gun was wearing a long white shirt as well as military fatigue trousers and boots, which are commonly worn by soldiers, Wessels said.

AFP has asked the Israeli military for comment. Settlers are rarely arrested or charged for their attacks against Palestinians... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank

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‘My heart is broken’: Palestinians begin searching the Gaza rubble for their dead. Using manual tools and their bare hands, people start the immense task of trying to find their loved ones’ remains

The destruction left by Israel’s offensive on Gaza City. Photograph: Amjed Tantesh/The Guardian

 Seham Tantesh in Gaza and William Christou in Jerusalem

Sun 12 Oct 2025

Ghali Khadr spent two days pleading with his parents to flee with him to southern Gaza, warning them that it was too dangerous to stay. His father, known for being stubborn, refused. Their argument was never finished – an Israeli airstrike hit his father’s home, burying his parents beneath the rubble.

On Sunday, two days after the ceasefire was announced, Khadr returned to search through the ruins of his parents’ home. He spent the day sifting through shattered concrete and twisted metal for any sign of them. All he managed to find were some shards of their skulls and parts of their hands.

“My father, a retired ambulance driver, was known for his strong will and patience. He did not know fear and was always optimistic,” said Khadr, 40, of Jabaliya in northern Gaza.

Khadr took the remains of his parents to the graveyard, but found that it too had been destroyed. He decided to bury them next to the few graves that were still intact. 

Like Khadr, thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since Friday’s ceasefire with a grim task ahead of them: searching for loved ones killed weeks or months earlier in Israeli airstrikes and whose bodies are buried under the rubble.

Gaza’s civil defence agency estimates that the bodies of about 10,000 people are trapped under the debris and collapsed buildings. The halt in the fighting has given the ambulance service the chance to finally start the search for the dead and give their families a chance at closure.

The task ahead of the rescuers is immense given an estimated 60m tonnes of rubble across the territory.

Most roads have been destroyed or blocked by debris. Civil defence workers are short of heavy equipment and have to use pickaxes and sledgehammers to break through collapsed buildings. Rescue crews have to move slowly. The debris is also full of unexploded bombs and ordnance.

“At first, we are focusing on... " READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/12/my-heart-is-broken-palestinians-begin-searching-the-gaza-rubble-for-their-dead?CMP=share_btn_url

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The Guardian: ‘Anticipatory obedience’: newspapers’ refusal to endorse shines light on billionaire owners’ motives

Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, now owns the Washington Post. Photograph: Gary Cameron/Reuters

 Lois Beckett in Los Angeles, California

Sat 26 Oct 2024 09.14 EDT

 

The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post both declined to endorse a candidate – a sign of political media capture

 

When two American billionaires blocked the newspapers they own from endorsing Kamala Harris this month, they tried to frame the decision as an act of civic responsibility.

“I think my fear is, if we chose either one, that it would just add to the division,” Patrick Soon-Shiong, the biotech billionaire who owns the Los Angeles Times, said. He emphasised that though some might assume his family is “ultra-progressive”, he is a registered “independent”.

At the Washington Post, which reported that its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, was behind the decision, publisher William Lewis described the retreat from making presidential endorsements as “a statement in support of our readers’ ability to make up their own minds”.

Veteran journalists and media critics are using a very different phrase to describe Soon-Shiong’s and Bezos’s choice: they’re saying the two billionaires, among the richest men on the entire globe, are performing “anticipatory obedience” to Donald Trump.

Yes, “cowardice” has also been a popular way to describe the choice by the billionaire owners of two of the country’s major newspapers to not to risk angering Trump by allowing their papers to endorse his opponent.

But “anticipatory obedience” is more specific. The term comes from On Tyranny, the bestselling guide to authoritarianism by Timothy Snyder, a historian of eastern and central Europe. The phrase describes, in Snyder’s words, “the major lesson of the Nazi takeover, and what was supposed to be one of the major lessons of the twentieth century: don’t hand over the power you have before you have to. Don’t protect yourself too early.” It’s a way of describing what Europeans did wrong as totalitarians came to power: by “mentally and physically conceding, you’re already giving over your power to the aspiring authoritarian”, Snyder explains...  READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/26/anticipatory-obedience-newspapers-endorsement-refusal

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6 days before the 2nd anniversary of Israel's killing of correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh: Israel to shut down local offices and broadcasrs of Al Jazeera in Ar & En, seize equipment used for its broadcasts; & limit access to its websites

 

Maha Hussaini

@MahaGaza

Breaking: Israel to shut down local offices and broadcasrs of Al Jazeera in Ar & En, seize equipment used for its broadcasts; & limit access to its websites 

This comes 6 days before the 2nd anniversary of Israel's killing of correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh 

*Democracy in action*

No Freedom Without Free Press #WorldPressFreedomDay - Last week another Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, taking the death toll to 142 media personnel since October 7, 2023

#PVA - International org. with Special Consultative Status 

 

@UN - ECOSOC. Ensure human rights and improving lives affected by poverty and emergencies. 

 

PVA reposted

 

UNRWA

@UNRWA

The war in #Gaza continues to be a war on women. 

Over 10,000 women have been killed & 19,000 injured 

37 children lose their mother every single day.

 UNRWA

@UNRWA

Accessing even the most essential items is a huge challenge in #Gaza

 

@UNRWA  continues to deliver diapers & essential sanitary items for women & babies- but it’s nowhere near enough We need MORE access & supplies to effectively counter the devastating effects of this war & siege

PVA reposted

António Guterres

@antonioguterres

 

Around the world, media workers are more & more risking their lives to bring us the news. 

 

The

@UN

recognizes the invaluable work of journalists to ensure that the public is informed & engaged. Without press freedom, we won't have any freedom.  

#WorldPressFreedomDay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#BREAKING UNESCO awards press prize to Palestinian journalists in Gaza

Palestinian journalists win World Press Freedom Prize for Gaza war coverage

UNESCO pays tribute to "courage" of journalists facing "dangerous circumstances" in besieged Gaza where Israel has killed more than 140 journalists since October last year.

Israel’s war on besieged Gaza has become the deadliest, most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history, UN experts say.  / Photo: AA

UNESCO — the UN body that promotes world peace and security — has awarded its World Press Freedom Prize to all Palestinian journalists covering the war in Gaza, where Israel has launched a brutal invasion for more than six months, killing tens of thousands of civilians and turning the tiny enclave into the "deadliest" place for journalists in recent history.

"In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances," Mauricio Weibel, chair of the international jury of media professionals announced on Thursday.

"As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression," he added.

Audrey Azoulay, director general at UNESCO, said the prize paid "tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances."

Last week a Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, taking the death toll to 142 media personnel since October 7, 2023, according to Anadolu Agency.

Salem Abu Toyor, a reporter for Al-Quds TV, and his son lost their lives when Israeli fighter jets struck their home in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, the TV station said.

The pair were buried in the central city of Deir al Balah.

UNESCO  #Education #Sciences #Culture 

@UNESCO

Palestinian journalists covering Gaza awarded the 2024

@UNESCO

/ Guillermo Cano World #PressFreedom Prize. https://unes.co/7x4ftp #WorldPressFreedomDay

'No journalist in Gaza is spared'

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) — a global body that promotes press freedom worldwide — says journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes.

Christophe Deloire, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, Paris-based non-governmental organisation focused on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, said, "If the numbers show anything, it is that since October 7, no place in Gaza is safe, no journalist in Gaza is spared, and the massacre has not stopped. We reiterate our urgent appeal to protect journalists in Gaza."

UN News

@UN_News_Centre

·

Follow

For 108 days, Palestinian photographer Motaz Azaia risked his life in #Gaza to tell the story of the war to millions of followers on Instagram as friends and family members were killed around him. He has now left his native Gaza.

 

Only UN prize for journalists

World Press Freedom Prize honours an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.

It is the only such prize awarded to journalists by the UN.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in devastating casualties. Israeli military has killed at least 34,596 Palestinians, with a staggering 70 percent being babies, children, and women, Palestinian officials say.

Additionally, more than 77,816 individuals have been wounded, while over10,000 people are feared buried under the debris of bombed structures.

https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/palestinian-journalists-win-world-press-freedom-prize-for-gaza-war-coverage-18010235

 

 

2 more Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza: In two months, Israel killed more journalists than those killed in some of the bloodiest wars in history

In two months, Israel killed more journalists than those killed in some of the bloodiest wars in history

 January 30, 2024 at 12:23 pm

Two more Palestinian journalists were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip yesterday, raising the number of media professionals killed since 7 October to 122, officials and state media said.

Israeli warplanes targeted the home of journalist Isam Al-Lulu in the town of Al-Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip, Wafa news agency reported, adding that the attack also killed Al-Lulu’s wife and two sons.

Journalist Mohammed Abdul-Fattah Atallah from Al-Resala media office was also killed in an air strike on his home in the enclave, according to the Gaza Media Office. Further details were not immediately available.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since 7 October. More than 26,750 Palestinians have been killed and 65,636 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Health Ministry said in a statement today. The vast majority are children and women.

Some 114 Palestinians were killed and 249 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

More than 10,000 Palestinians are thought to be trapped beneath the rubble, unable to escape... READ MORE  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240130-2-more-palestinian-journalists-killed-in-gaza/

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The third Arab journalist murdered in less than 48 hours by Israel - at least 111 journalists murdered in the last 95 days by Israel

 

The third journalist murdered in less than 48 hours - at least 111 journalists murdered in the last 95 days
The well-known and respected journalist Abdallah Breis, together with three other journalist colleagues, survived an airstrike 2 months ago, while covering the ongoing genocide against the 2.2 million prisoners in Gaza

The Israeli army has assassinated Hamza Al-Dahdouh, the son of Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al-Jazeera’s main correspondent in Gaza...

This is a photo of Hamza next to his father.

The Israeli army has assassinated Hamza Al-Dahdouh, the son of Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al-Jazeera’s main correspondent in Gaza.

 

In the first weeks of the genocide, they killed his wife and some of his children. Now his oldest son, who worked as a journalist.

 

Hamza was in a car moving to report on atrocities in Rafah and other southern parts of Gaza.

Ahmad Khairy another Palestinian journalist killed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza

 Ahmad Khairy - another Palestinian journalist killed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza

Powerful Bansky

 Mike Hanini Odetalla Powerful Banksy!

MidEast:JustPeace  

They often target the writers and poets and artists first, knowing the strength of the narratives they create.

28 Dec 2023 Israeli bombing kills two more journalists in northern Gaza & Israeli forces raided six exchange companies in the West Bank, seizing the money then blowing up the safes.

Al Jazeera LIVE coverage: http://aje.io/fdiiy5

 

Israeli bombing kills two more journalists in northern Gaza

Two more journalists have been killed in Israeli bombings, raising the total death toll of journalists in the enclave to 105, the Government Media Office has said.

More than 30 people were killed in the Israeli army attack on a residential square in Beit Lahiya, including photojournalist Ahmed Khair al-Din and journalist Mohammad Khair al-Din, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Israeli forces raided six exchange companies: Palestine Monetary Authority

The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) says Israeli forces at dawn raided the headquarters of six exchange companies under the PMA’s control in a number of governorates in the occupied West Bank.

“The Israelis arrested a number of the owners of these companies and seized sums of money from their safes, after blowing them up,” it said in a statement, adding that it is “following up this sinful attack with all relevant parties”.

It said it considers the attack “an act that violates all international norms, laws, charters and agreements, and aims to undermine confidence in the Palestinian banking and banking sector”. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/28/israel-hamas-war-live-israel-kills-palestinians-in-central-gaza-attacks