Palestinian journalists march with 'coffins' to mark two years of Israel's Gaza genocide

Palestinian journalists rallied against Israeli attacks on Gaza media workers on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

Dozens of journalists marched towards the city's UN headquarters carrying coffins bearing the names and photos of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

"All of them, every single one of them, has his own story," said Nasser Abu Baker, head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, which organised the event.

Among the names was Anas al Sharif, a prominent correspondent for Al Jazeera in Gaza, who was killed in August in an Israeli air strike outside al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The UN and rights groups have strongly condemned Sharif's killing.

After the speeches at the event, Abu Baker said he would hand over a letter to the UN representative in Ramallah asking for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take measures "to protect our journalists in Gaza because they are daily under fire, under the bombing strike, in a very dangerous situation".

Since October 2023, 278 journalists have been killed in Gaza, the highest toll in modern history.

Several journalists have been subjected to enforced disappearance, and Israel prevents foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

Islam Abu Ara, director of digital media for the Palestinian Authority-affiliated newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, said that the situation had also deteriorated for journalists in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

"There are also restrictions on journalists in the occupied West Bank, assaults by illegal Israeli settlers and pressure from the Israeli army," Abu Ara told AFP.

He said that he personally faced restrictions, particularly when moving between cities.

"When (Israeli soldiers at checkpoints) find out I'm a journalist, they search my car much more thoroughly than they do for ordinary people," he said, noting his phone was also checked.