Monday , 25 August 2025
Four journalists, five photographers, a novelist, and an artist were killed, and 12 others injured, in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza during July 2025. Additional Israeli violations targeted 36 media professionals across the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. In Syria, a journalist was shot dead by a sniper. A female reporter was assaulted, another was tortured in detention, and a third was arrested after her home was raided. In Lebanon and Jordan, journalists endured physical attacks and repeated detentions.
The following is a detailed account of the violations monitored by the Samir Kassir Foundation’s SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan.
In Lebanon, LBCI reporter Petra Abou Haidar was beaten and bitten by a man and a woman on a motorcycle (07/15). The Meis Al-Jabal municipal police in Southern Lebanon arrested Syrian-Canadian journalist Laith Maarouf and freelance journalist Hady Hoteit (07/20), later transferring them to the Lebanese Army. Hoteit was released after three hours, while Maarouf was freed two days later. That same day, General Security detained investigative journalist Hajar Knio for nine hours upon her arrival at Beirut Airport (07/20). Six days later, she was again questioned about her social media posts. Meanwhile, the General Security censorship committee demanded that a scene be removed from Lucien Bourjeily’s film Msha’lab, depicting army soldiers beating protesters, before granting screening approval (07/11).
The Internal Security Forces’ Anti-Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau summoned Naqd platform director Anthony Barakat and editor-in-chief Taline Nohra after banker Antoun Sehnawi filed a complaint accusing them of “defamation, slander, incitement to strife” (07/01). The same day, Al-Hurra editor-in-chief Carine Abdelnour and columnist Dr. Bashir Ismat were also summoned in a separate case filed by Sehnawi, though no details were disclosed (07/01). Sports journalist Ibrahim Abou Chahine, who runs the LB Sports page, was summoned after former volleyball federation president Michel Abi Ramia filed a lawsuit against him over a post (07/21); he refused to comply. Also this month, unknown gunmen opened fire at the car of journalist Nancy Lakkis outside her home in Beirut (07/23).
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli bombardments throughout July 2025 claimed the lives of numerous journalists, photographers, artists, and their families. Among the victims were Palestine newspaper journalist Mohammad Emad Al-Sultan (07/02); Sawt Al-Shabab radio journalist Marwa Musallem (07/07); Palestine Today agency reporter Ahmad Abu Aisheh (07/10); freelance journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari and her family (07/23); Al-Quds Today TV cameraman Adam Abu Harbeid and several relatives (07/24); freelance photographers Mahmud Al-Hannawi (07/06), Tamer Al-Zaanin (07/21), Ramadan Atallah and Ibrahim Hajjaj (07/30); artist Hammam Al-Reefi (07/13); and novelist Dima Awad with family members (07/28).
Those injured included Yemen TV correspondent Wadi Abu Al-Saud (07/01); Palestine TV correspondent Islam Al-Zaanoun (07/03); Al-Mayadeen reporter Akram Dalloul (07/15); Palestinian Network for Press and Media head Osama Abu Foul (07/26); Yemen Today correspondent Abdul-Hadi Farhat (07/27); freelance photographers Youssef Al-Saudi (07/01), Fadi Turban (07/07), Zaher Saleh (07/17), Ibrahim Abu Ashiba (07/21), and Ahmad Hamdan (07/24); along with Al-Kofiya TV cameramen Asaid Madukh (07/22) and Guevara Al-Safadi (07/23). They were injured either while reporting in the field or when Israeli strikes targeted their homes.
The Israeli army detained Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammad Al-Bakkali and cameraman Omar Al-Moussa for two days while they were aboard the ship Hanzala in international waters off Gaza’s coast. (07/26) Two days earlier, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee had launched an incitement campaign against their colleague, reporter Anas Al-Sharif, accusing him of belonging to Hamas (07/24).
Meanwhile, in Gaza, members of Hamas’s General Investigation Department assaulted Kanaan agency journalist Khaled Shaath and freelance photographers Abdallah Al-Attar and Mohammad Salama while they covered the arrival of the wounded at Nasser Hospital in western Khan Younis (07/20).
In the West Bank, Israeli forces, often in coordination with settlers, continued targeting Palestinian media crews, assaulting and harassing journalists during field coverage. They attacked Quds Network correspondent Hamza Mahmud Hamdan, Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter Raghad Salama, Quds Feed correspondent Nagham Zayet, Palestine Post reporter Siwar Janem, and freelance journalist Suhaib Abu Diak (07/08). They also used teargas and stun grenades against Al-Fajr TV correspondent Ahmad Mohammad Shawish, Quds Network reporter Mohammad Abed, AFP contributor Mohammad Ateeq, Reuters photographer Raneen Sawafteh, Palestine Post correspondent Mashael Abu Al-Rab, Xinhua photographer Nidal Ashtiyeh, and Palestine TV correspondent Sakhr Zawatiya with cameraman Ahmad Nazzal (07/17).
Israeli forces also arrested Al-Mayadeen correspondent Nasser Al-Lahham, whose detention was extended by the Ofer military court before his release more than a week later (07/07), as well as freelance photographer Muath Ghannam, who was covering an Israeli raid in Jabal Al-Salima northeast of Jenin (07/13). They also detained Wafa photographer Mohammad Awwad, Al-Fajr TV reporter Ma’ther Al-Badawi, and freelance journalist Ammar Al-Qazmuz (07/31). Earlier in the month, Hayat Radio correspondent Adham Al-Kharoubi was questioned and threatened (07/02). The same day, they obstructed the work of Al-Kofiya TV correspondent Zaid Abu Aarah and freelance photographer Muath Ghannam (07/02), and smashed the tripod of freelance journalist Wafieh Abdul-Hadi (07/02). Israeli security forces beat +972 Magazine journalist Basel Al-Aadra (07/25),and prevented Deutsche Welle (DW) reporter Rajai Khateeb from covering events (07/29).
Settler violence compounded the situation. They assaulted freelance journalist Sudqi Rayan, Quds Network correspondent Abdullah Bahesh, and SIPA photographer Nasser Eshtiyeh, also destroying Eshtiyeh’s camera (07/16). They also threw stones at DW reporter Rajai Khateeb, shattering his car windows (07/04), and carried out a similar attack against CNN correspondent Karim Khodr and cameraman Jeremy Diamond (07/13). Meanwhile, the Salem military court sentenced Ultra Palestine editor Mujahid Bani Mufleh to four months of administrative detention (07/08).
Palestinian authorities also engaged in violations. The intelligence service arrested freelance reporter Ihab Al-Allami (07/29) on charges of unlicensed weapon possession; two days later, the Halhoul Magistrate’s Court extended his detention for 15 more days. In Jenin, the Preventive Security Service detained Quds Network reporter Mohammad Abed and AFP contributor Mohammad Ateeq while they were covering a protest staged by mothers of political detainees (07/13). Later that month, Palestinian police arrested Ateeq at a checkpoint without charge and released him the following day (07/29).
In the 1948 Territories, the Israeli judiciary further tightened restrictions on Palestinian journalists. The Haifa Magistrate’s Court held the first hearing in the case of journalist Saeed Hassanein, reassigning the file to another judge while maintaining his house arrest under electronic monitoring (07/09). Meanwhile, Radio Al-Nas journalist Mohammad Majadleh faced a campaign of incitement and threats from Knesset member Tally Gotliv over his views (07/30).
In Syria, Hassan Al-Zoubi, a government journalist for Daraa province, was killed by a sniper’s bullet in Sweida while accompanying the government’s negotiation delegation (07/16). Two days later, journalist Zeina Shahla was assaulted by a group of young men who slapped and insulted her as she joined a peaceful sit-in outside the People’s Assembly in Damascus to protest the violence and ongoing clashes in Sweida (07/18). Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Syrian territory persisted, with shelling in Damascus damaging the offices of Al-Hadath TV (07/16).
The Internal Security Forces of the Kurdish Self-Administration (Asayish) raided the home of journalist Hiba Kousa in Raqqa and arrested her (07/04); she was released after being subjected to torture (07/31). Syrian General Security also arrested journalist Nour Suleiman after twice summoning her and raiding her home in Damascus (07/26). In Quneitra, Al-Modon correspondent Nour Al-Hassan was detained the day after being summoned and released several hours later (07/01).
In Jordan, journalist Fares Al-Habashneh was beaten outside his home in Amman (07/08), just one day after being detained by security services over a defamation complaint filed by Agriculture Minister Khaled Al-Hneifat. He was later released on bail (07/07). Public Security forces also detained writer and journalist Khaldoun Al-Habashneh, citing a standing warrant for his arrest following a public complaint over an article allegedly “defaming the state” (07/25).