Expression
While social media, communication and technology tools remain a channel of restrictions for human rights defenders, several reports issued by civil society groups showed systematic use of these tools to violate the rights of Palestinians:
* Microsoft's recent treatment of Palestinian customers and blocking Palestinian users’ email and Skype accounts,
* YouTube’s policies that allow for the dissemination of problematic content in the form of advertising material that increased incitement to hatred and violence against Palestinians.
* Denying Palestinians the use of PayPal services, whereas 7amleh, in collaboration with several partners, has been diligently working to exert continuous pressure on PayPal since 2017 through the PayPal4Palestine campaign.
Separately, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) continued documenting violations against media freedoms and journalists as follows:
Violations against journalists and media freedoms committed by the occupation forces and authorities was documented by MADA (30 in April, 39 in May and 61 in June). As has been previously documented, most of the violations committed posed a great danger to the lives of journalists and to media freedoms. The murder of journalists has been at the forefront of the events since 7 October last year and the number of journalists murdered reached 152 since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip.
During the reporting period journalist martyrs were:
Journalists Martyrs (April-June 2024)
TARIQ AL-SAYED ABU SAKHIL
04/04/2024
Quds Radio
AMNA HAMEED
24/04/2024
Khansa Center
MOHAMMED BASSAM AL-JAMAL
25/04/2024
Palestine Times Agency
SALEM ABU TAYUR
29/04/2024
Journalist
MUSTAFA HATEM AYYAD
6th May 2023
Cinematographer
BAHAA RAWHI AKASHA
11th May 2024
Al-Aqsa TV
HAYEL NAJJAR
15th May 2024
Al-Aqsa TV
MAHMOUD JAHJOUH
15th May 2024
Palestine Post
MOHAMMED ALHOUBI
17th May 2024
Sawa Agency
ABED ELRAOUUF ASALIYA
28th May 2024
Islamic University Cameraman
OLA DAHDOUUH
31st May 2025
Sawt Al-Watan
ABDALLAH ALJAMAL
8th June 2024
Media spokesman for the Ministry of Justice
MAHMOUD IYAD QASIM
11th June 2024
Palestine Newspaper
SALEEM ALSHURAFA
20th June 2024
Al-Aqsa TV
MOHAMMED ABU SHARIA
29th June 2024
Shams News
Association
On 24th July 2024, Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, issued a statement urging Israeli authorities to stop targeting Palestinian human rights defenders, highlighting the cases of Mr. Bassem Tamimi, Mr. Omar al-Khatib, Ms. Baraa Odeh, Ms. Sumoud Mtair and Ms. Diala Ayesh who were arrested between October 2023 and March 2024, either from their homes or as they returned from abroad. The Special Rapporteur noted that all five human rights defenders were arrested without warrants. All but al-Khatib and Ayesh were released at the end of their administrative detention periods.
Systemic violations of civic space continue, with human rights defenders being targeted with judicial harassment and defamation. Since 24th May 2024, a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of followers has defamed Palestinian human rights defender and lawyer Mohannad Karajah. He is the head of Lawyers for Justice, a Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation that works to support Palestinian activists and political prisoners held by the Palestinian Authority.