Journalism under siege in northern Gaza: RSF condemns Israel's news blackout
Only a handful of journalists are left to report on the deadly Israeli offensive in northern Gaza. They work under appalling conditions and face constant power outages. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the information blackout imposed by the Israeli army on Gaza — especially in the north of the territory, where less and less information is reaching the outside world.
"Journalism is becoming even more necessary in northern Gaza, where it is clearly on the verge of disappearing. Yet the Israeli authorities continue to make the conditions for journalism impossible and are especially aggressive in the north of the territory. Their strategy prevents any image or voice that could document the realities of the ongoing war and the appalling humanitarian conditions imposed on the population. By using these tactics, Israel is also compromising judicial work, which is partially based on the testimonies of civilian victims recorded by journalists. This siege on information cannot be tolerated. RSF condemns the Israeli army’s conduct and is determined to bring all of the Israeli state's violations before international courts.
“I'm scared as soon as I start filming," a journalist trapped in northern Gaza — a zone that makes up almost a fifth of the Palestinian territory — recently confided to RSF. Just a few hours before our call, the journalist, who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons, had travelled to the market in Beit Lahya — one of northern Gaza’s besieged cities — with his camera in hand to document the consequences of yet another Israeli strike. The tremors of his video, posted on the Telegram channel he created at the start of the war, Sawt El Shemel (“The Voice of the North”), show the fear that this journalist, a man in his forties, felt as he followed a cart loaded with lifeless bodies. On 30 October, the municipality of Beit Lahya declared the city a disaster area, following an Israeli bombardment that killed at least 93 people.
This journalist, who also works with the Palestinian channel Alkofiya TV, is one of the last news professionals present in northern Gaza. The zone is has been blockaded by the Israeli army, which has been attempting to empty the area of its population — including journalists — since the beginning of October. Despite the danger of bombardments, this reporter still clings to his mission: transmitting “human stories […] so that the world will stop this war and life will return to normal.”
In addition to facing extremely harsh humanitarian conditions, journalists are working with limited equipment and resources. “We don’t have many cell phones and cameras, not to mention the very weak internet connection, which is frequently cut off," explained the Beit Lahya correspondent of the Palestinian news website Donia El Watan. The 26-year-old journalist, originally from the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, found himself stuck in a neighbourhood of Beit Lahya, unable to move to nearby areas. “We can't go anywhere, either as citizens or journalists," he said. Osama al-Derini, a journalist with the Palestinian radio station Sawt El Shaab (“The Voice of the People”), was among a group of displaced persons arbitrarily arrested by Israeli forces on 24 October in Beit Lahya.
Covering the north from elsewhere in Gaza
South of the line drawn by the Israeli army to cordon off northern Gaza, journalists are covering the siege and its terrible humanitarian consequences from a distance. “There are very few experienced journalists in the north, and the rest only publish on social media," says Khader al-Zaanoun. A correspondent for several local and foreign media — including the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the Saudi channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, CNN and the BBC — al-Zaanoun remains confined to Gaza City. Just four kilometres from the northern zone, It was in Gaza City that the tower housing the Agence France-Presse (AFP) office and the building housing the Media Palestine group were destroyed by Israeli fire in November 2023.
To reach the areas hit by the Israeli army, al-Zaanoun travels by foot through the various districts of Gaza City, as he is unable to cover the cost of fuel. A litre of petrol can cost up to 100 USD (around 91 euros) due to a dire shortage. To report on the siege, he relies on information provided by emergency services, civil defence groups, hospital directors, and civilian sources to report on the siege.
While the Qatari channel Al Jazeera is the only international media outlet devoting most of its programming to the war in Gaza, its correspondents, deployed in various parts of the Palestinian enclave, have been instructed not to travel north of Gaza City, according to RSF’s source at Al Jazeera. “We receive information and images, but for our employees, it's a no,” he explained, as Al Jazeera fears for the safety of its staff. Al Jazeera journalists have been openly targeted by the Israeli army, and four members of the channel’s staff have been killed since the start of the conflict. A few weeks ago, the Israeli army accused six of Al Jazeera’s Palestinian correspondents of terrorism. Two of Al Jazeera’s journalists, Ali al-Attar and Fadi Alwahidi, are still in critical condition and must be evacuated immediately to survive.
Since 7 October 2023, over 140 journalists have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, according to RSF's count. At least 34 were killed while working.
