PCHR Report Exposes Israel’s War on Journalists and Media Institutions in Gaza

Yesterday marked a devastating event for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) as their headquarters in Al-Roya Tower, Gaza City, was obliterated by an airstrike from the Israeli Occupation Force. This attack is part of a disturbing pattern of systematic assaults on high-rise buildings throughout the city. Just following PCHR’s announcement of their new report, “Assassination of Truth: Killing of Journalists amid Genocide in Gaza,” Avichay Adraee, spokesman for the Israeli Occupation Forces, casually declared the intention to target and demolish Al-Roya Tower, home to PCHR’s vital work. The timing and intent behind these actions raise serious questions about the protection of human rights and freedom of expression in these turbulent times.

Breaking: PCHR’s Headquarters Office in Gaza City, located in Al-Roya Tower, has just been completely destroyed by IOF’s warplanes, as part of Israel’s ongoing systematic attacks targeting high rise buildings in the City, in another war crime committed against the Palestinian… https://t.co/q87ohCP2n6 pic.twitter.com/px4vpeGHVy

— Palestinian Centre for Human Rights – PCHR (@pchrgaza) September 8, 2025

The PCHR office, perched on the 12th floor of the Al-Roya Tower, has unfortunately faced relentless bombardment and significant damage since the onset of the conflict. In addition, the Israeli Occupation Forces raided the premises, even converting it into a military base during their previous ground operations in Gaza City. As a result, the office has been rendered inoperable, highlighting the heavy toll on journalists working in Gaza. It is also important to mention that the PCHR offices located in Khan Younis and Jabalia were demolished last year.

PCHR’s new report paints a vivid and harrowing picture of the crimes committed, backed by compelling firsthand accounts from victims, witnesses, and their families, along with insights from legal experts and international sources. It shines a light on the shocking obliteration of 112 media institutions—ranging from TV and radio stations to newspaper headquarters—forcing journalists in Gaza to operate under extreme peril, often from makeshift tents, all while living with the constant threat of assassination.

DOCUMENT: New report from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, “Assassination of Truth: Killing of Journalists amid Genocide in Gaza” (Source: PCHR)
Journalists-Report-EN

The report reveals a troubling pattern: since October 7, Israel has actively targeted individuals who are brave enough to document the crisis in Gaza, effectively trying to suppress the truth and documented evidence of the Gaza genocide. Shockingly, during this period, Israeli Occupation Forces have killed 221 journalists, injured 415 more, and have arbitrarily detained at least 86 individuals. Many have faced torture and inhumane conditions, with 16 still in detention and 4 having mysteriously disappeared, according to PCHR. It’s a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those committed to reporting the realities on the ground.

The report calls on the global community to urge the Israeli authorities to promptly permit foreign journalists and international media representatives to access the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has the story…

New Report from The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)…

PCHR Launches Report on “Assassination of Truth: Killing of Journalists amid Genocide in Gaza”

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has launched a new report titled: “Assassination of Truth: Killing of Journalists amid Genocide in Gaza”. This report documents crimes and violations unprecedentedly committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against journalists and media institutions during the ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, now entering its 22nd month.

Despite the legal protection granted to journalists under international law, as civilians not participating in hostilities, this protection has not shielded them from the unprecedented and systematic attacks they have faced. Since the beginning of the aggression, Israeli media and officials have openly incited against journalists through their official outlets and platforms, identifying specific individuals as targets, labelling them terrorists in press vests, and alleging affiliations with Hamas. As a result of this smear campaign, many journalists were targeted and assassinated, including Isma’il Al-Ghoul, Rami Al-Rifi, and Hasan Esleih.

The report addresses the IOF’s crimes committed against journalists and media outlets in the Gaza Strip. It provides legal analysis and documentation supported by testimonies from eyewitnesses and survivors. The report concludes that the killing of journalists was not incidental, but rather part of the crime of genocide, intended to silence the truth and conceal the crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people.

The report also documents the killing of 221 journalists and the injury of 415 others from 07 October 2023 to 31 May 2025. It records recurring patterns of targeting and killing journalists, highlighting specific examples for each type of killing: 

First: Direct and deliberate killing of journalists while performing their professional duties, by targeting them in the field or inside vehicles clearly marked with press insignia. PCHR documented the direct and deliberate killing of 42 journalists while reporting in the field.

 Second: Journalists killed in airstrikes on their homes or tents. The report provides shocking figures regarding the targeting of journalists in their homes, killing many of them. 

From October 2023 until the end of April 2025, the IOF bombed 152 houses linked to journalists, resulting in the death of a total of 665 family members and relatives.

Third: Journalists killed in indiscriminate strikes across the Gaza Strip. Dozens of journalists were killed during the reporting period due to continuous attacks targeting various areas of the Gaza Strip, where journalists were present, whether in their homes, on the streets and markets, or near institutions and facilities.

During the reporting period, PCHR documented new horrific crimes committed by the IOF against journalists, providing further evidence that targeting journalists is an integral part of the crime of genocide. Following the preparation of this report, PCHR recorded the killing of 12 journalists: six were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a journalists’ tent near al-Shifa Medical Complex on 11 August 2025. 

This was followed by another airstrike on Nasser Medical Complex, which killed five journalists while they were covering the bombing of the complex on 25 August. On the same day, the IOF killed a journalist by targeting his tent in the al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis. These crimes confirm that Israel continues its war against, silencing those who document its crimes, in blatant defiance of international law and the criticisms of human rights organisations.

The report also documents the IOF’s deliberate and systematic destruction of 112 governmental and non-governmental media institutions and offices, including official, partisan, private, and non-profit organisations. This destruction included television, satellite, and radio stations, broadcasting towers, media service offices, and newspaper headquarters.

In this report, PCHR highlights the arrest of dozens of journalists, with the Israeli authorities withholding information about their whereabouts and only disclosing their fate after months of international pressure. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported the arrest of 86 journalists, while 16 of them remain in Israeli custody, according to Palestinian prisoner organisations. Many of those detained have been subjected to torture and inhumane treatment. To date, the whereabouts of four journalists remain unknown; two disappeared on the first day of the Israeli aggression, while two others went missing during the IOF’s ground invasion into the northern Gaza Strip.

The report calls on the international community to condemn the targeting of journalists and to take immediate, decisive action to halt the killing of journalists; ensure the prompt release of all detained journalists; determine the fate of those who are missing; and provide urgent international protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip, including journalists.

The report also calls on the international community to pressure the Israeli authorities to immediately allow foreign journalists and international media correspondents to enter the Gaza Strip. Such access is essential to guarantee independent coverage and to monitor the humanitarian situation of approximately two million Palestinians, including the conditions of journalists and media institutions. In addition, the report urges the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to accelerate concrete steps to complete the investigation into crimes committed in the territory of Palestine, including the killing of journalists.

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Source: https://21stcenturywire.com/2025/09/09/pchr-explosive-new-report-exposes-israels-war-on-journalists-and-media-institutions-in-gaza/