The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the heinous massacre committed by the occupation forces at dawn on Monday, targeting a tent designated for journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. This resulted in the martyrdom of journalists Ahmed Mansour and Hilmi Al-Faqawi, and the serious injury of journalists Ahmed Al-Agha, Mahmoud Awad, Mohammed Fayeq, Abdullah Al-Attar, Majed Qudaih, and Ihab Al-Bardini.

The Syndicate clarified, in a statement issued by the Freedoms Committee, that with the deaths of Mansour and Al-Faqawi, the number of journalists killed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, has risen to 209, according to what the committee documented.

The statement noted that last March witnessed a dangerous escalation against journalists, with seven journalists killed in the Gaza Strip, including six during field coverage and one inside his home. Eight members of journalists' families were also killed in direct attacks on their journalist children.

In occupied Jerusalem, the Syndicate documented 11 summonses for investigation against journalists, in addition to 11 bans issued against journalists from the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, as part of a systematic policy of restrictions aimed at preventing press coverage of Israeli violations.

The report indicated that violations during March included approximately 102 crimes and attacks against journalists and media personnel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including 40 cases of detention and denial of coverage, 12 cases of direct shooting resulting in two injuries, and 7 cases of arrest, some of which were released, while others remain in detention.

The statement also documented seven cases of physical assault, the destruction of three homes belonging to journalists, raids on their homes, confiscation of their equipment, the imposition of house arrest on some, and the banning of newspapers from entering Jerusalem, in addition to repeated incitement and threats.

At the end of its statement, the Syndicate affirmed its continued efforts, along with international human rights and trade union organizations, to ensure the protection of Palestinian journalists, hold the occupation accountable for its crimes, and ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment.