Journalist beaten during Israeli raid as attacks persist

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 8 August 2026 |  JP Middle East Desk

International and Palestinian journalists' organisations condemned an Israeli military raid on Qalandia Refugee Camp after soldiers removed independent journalist Mohammed Somreen from his vehicle and beat him while he filmed the operation.

Summary

JERUSALEM — An Israeli military raid on Qalandia Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank has drawn renewed condemnation from international and Palestinian journalists' organizations after soldiers physically assaulted journalist Mohammed Somreen while he was documenting the operation.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Somreen was reporting on the August 5 raid when Israeli soldiers forcibly removed him from his vehicle and beat him. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), the IFJ's affiliate, said the assault intensified after Somreen identified himself as a journalist.

The IFJ and PJS condemned the assault and called for an end to impunity for attacks on journalists working in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The organizations said the incident was part of a broader pattern of violations affecting journalists covering the conflict and escalating settler violence.

Pattern of attacks in the West Bank

Somreen is an independent journalist who has worked with outlets including Al Jazeera Net and Hayat FM. According to the IFJ, he was filming the military raid in Qalandia, north of Jerusalem, when he was removed from his vehicle and beaten.

The latest assault follows several other incidents involving journalists in the occupied West Bank. On July 25, journalists covering events in the village of Tal were met with tear gas fired by Israeli forces. Three days earlier, two Haaretz journalists were prevented by border police and Israeli settlers from reaching the home of a Palestinian family under siege by settlers.

On July 11, CNN journalists and other reporters covering the first anniversary of the killing of Saif Musallet near Ramallah were attacked by Israeli settlers, according to the IFJ. On June 25, independent journalist Adele Shoko was assaulted by an Israeli police officer while filming Israeli settlers attacking Taybeh. The IFJ also cited an incident in November 2025 in which six Palestinian media workers were attacked by Israeli settlers, stripped of their equipment and left severely injured.

The sequence of incidents has heightened concerns among journalists' organizations over the ability of reporters to document events safely in areas affected by military operations and settler violence.

Heavy toll in Gaza

The risks facing Palestinian journalists extend beyond the West Bank. The IFJ said at least 241 Palestinian journalists and media workers had been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. Its latest published update, dated July 3, retained the figure of 241 killed, while noting that others had been injured or remained missing.

The IFJ's August 6 statement said five Gazan journalists had been killed in 2026 alone, in incidents involving a drone strike, shelling and an airstrike.

The scale of the deaths has made journalist safety a central press freedom concern in the conflict. The IFJ and PJS have repeatedly called for investigations into journalist killings and for those responsible for attacks to be held accountable.

The international protection framework

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said the lack of accountability for attacks by Israeli forces and settlers was allowing such incidents to continue. He also referred to UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which was unanimously adopted in 2015 and specifically addresses the protection of journalists and associated media personnel in armed conflict.

Resolution 2222 reaffirms the obligations of parties to armed conflicts to respect and protect journalists, media professionals and associated personnel. The Security Council adopted it unanimously on May 27, 2015.

The IFJ said it had raised concerns over impunity for attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese journalists at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 16, together with the PJS and the Union of Journalists of Lebanon.

For journalists working in the West Bank and Gaza, the latest assault underscores the continuing difficulty of reporting from areas where military operations, restrictions and violence can directly affect their ability to work. The IFJ and PJS say accountability for attacks remains essential to protecting journalists' right to report.

ATTRIBUTION: Based on a public statement issued by the International Federation of Journalists on August 6, 2026. Additional context based on the IFJ's July 3, 2026 update on journalists killed in Gaza and UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015).

PHOTO: A member of the Israeli security forces holds a position during a military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp, south of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 5, 2026. ZAIN JAAFAR / AFP.