Israeli violations against journalists rise in 2019

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists have escalated in 2019, the government media office in the Gaza Strip said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Gaza City, Salama Marouf, the head of the media office, said 87 journalists were injured by Israeli gunfire during their coverage of anti-occupation protests along Gaza's buffer zone.

A total of 67 journalists were also injured while covering Palestinian demonstrations in the occupied West Bank, he said.

"Year 2019 was the second worst year for Palestinian journalists and media institutions," he said.

Maisara Shaban of the media office, for her part, said 100 journalists were arrested and tried by Israeli authorities in 2019 over their writings and coverage of Palestinian events.

"Around 18 Palestinian journalists are still held in Israeli prisons," she said, adding that the media office has documented 30 cases of torturing journalists and forcing them to pay hefty fines.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara