Hamas accused Israel of killing, detaining and forcibly displacing Palestinian journalists and described the alleged violations as war crimes and crimes against humanity that are not subject to a statute of limitations.
The group issued the statement Friday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists, as Palestinian media workers continue to report from Gaza and the occupied West Bank under dangerous conditions.
Hamas said the commemoration came as Israel continued to target journalists and media organizations in the region. It claimed that more than 262 journalists and media workers had been killed and more than 400 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023, while foreign journalists remained barred from entering the Gaza Strip.
The group also accused Israel of seeking to prevent international media from independently documenting conditions in Gaza and what Hamas described as Israeli violations there.
Hamas said the killing, detention and expulsion of journalists, as well as the destruction of media organizations, constitute serious violations of international law and should be subject to accountability.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has reported a higher toll. Its figures published in recent months put the number of journalists killed since the beginning of the Gaza war at about 265, including 27 women, while nearly 500 others have been wounded. It also reported that dozens of Palestinian journalists were being held by Israel.
The figures differ among organizations because of differences in methodology and verification standards.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said this week that it had completed a review of its database covering journalists and media workers killed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory between October 2023 and August 2026, removing some names, reinstating others and changing the classification of several cases.
Calls for international action
Hamas called on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union and media organizations around the world to condemn violations against Palestinian journalists and push for measures to protect them.
It also accused Israel and unspecified companies of attempting to restrict Palestinian media organizations on digital platforms, saying such measures demonstrated the importance of Palestinian journalists' efforts to document events and challenge competing narratives about the conflict.
The group urged news organizations and journalists to increase their reporting and solidarity efforts and to continue documenting developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has separately documented widespread displacement among surviving journalists in Gaza. In June, it said between 60% and 75% of journalists in the enclave had lost their homes or been forcibly displaced, while more than 80% of media offices and institutions had been completely or partially destroyed.
The syndicate has also continued to report arrests and administrative detention of Palestinian journalists in the West Bank. On Sept. 17, it said 39 Palestinian journalists were being held by Israel, including 21 under administrative detention.
The risks facing journalists extend beyond killings and arrests. The syndicate said last week that 40 journalists in Gaza required medical evacuation for treatment unavailable in the territory, amid shortages of medicine and the collapse of large parts of the health care system.
International bodies have also raised concerns over press freedom in the conflict. A 2026 resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned the killing of local journalists in Gaza and Israel's restrictions on international journalists and media outlets seeking access to the enclave, while also criticizing restrictions on journalists by Hamas.
The International Federation of Journalists said in September that it had recorded 240 journalists killed in Gaza as of Sept. 1 under its own verification methodology, underscoring the differences between casualty figures maintained by different organizations.