Violations of Freedom of the Press in Gaza

Violations of Freedom of the Press 

Freedom of the press has been on a sharp downward descent since Hamas' violent takeover in 2007. Based on polls conducted in Gaza, the level of free press in Gaza fallen from 52% in September 2007, to 19% in 2010, and to 14% in 2016. However, the lack of transparency in the Gaza Strip, especially with regards to Hamas' internal affairs, makes it nearly impossible to gather accurate statistics on this issue. This report therefore relies on the myriad of testimonies from journalists and residents who have been jailed, tortured and expelled by the Hamas authorities after reporting on the organization's activities.

Hamas employs a number of mechanisms in order to control the messages conveyed by the media in Gaza. Hamas itself operates the main television channels, which broadcast only Hamas approved material, often involving incitement against Israel. In order to deter journalists from critical reporting, Hamas enforces strict censorship on all media. Foreign journalists are able to report on the reality within the Gaza Strip only after they leave. In recent years, Hamas has even attempted to deter journalists from entering Gaza by forcing them to answer invasive questions, raising taxes for the armored cars in which journalists often travel, and limiting their freedom of movement to certain approved locations only. Journalists who have refused to abide by Hamas' restrictions are often subjected to investigation, torture, and imprisonment, and released only on the condition that they will not criticize Hamas. In addition to these active means of suppression, Hamas also endangers the lives of journalists and media infrastructure by launching rockets in their vicinity in order to prevent Israeli retaliation.

Violations against International Journalists

During the 2014 Gaza War, tens of journalists reported living in fear of expulsion or abuse for writing about Hamas' problematic military practices. Many international news teams that filmed rockets being launched into Israel from populated areas and next to civilian buildings reported only after leaving Gaza for fear of Hamas retaliation following their broadcasts. When asked by Israeli filmmaker Michael Grynszpan about why reporters from Gaza seldom broadcast Hamas militants in action, a Spanish journalist explained, "we did see Hamas people there launching rockets, they were close to our hotel, but if we dare pointing our camera on them they would simply shoot at us and kill us."

Pal T. Jorgensen, a writer for the Norwegian Channel TV2 that also reported from Gaza in 2014, reported that foreign journalists received clear reporting guidelines from Hamas. According to these restrictions, it was forbidden to report on Hamas' activities, to film rocket launches, or to photograph armed militants wearing IDF uniforms or civilian clothing. Jorgensen was told that violating these rules would result in expulsion from the Gaza Strip, and harsh punishment for the Palestinian translators who helped him.

The French newspaper Libération reported during the war that a Palestinian journalist for another French newspaper, Radjaa Abou Dagga, was brought into the Hamas command center in Shifa hospital to be interrogated. After asking him repeatedly if he was a reporter for Israel or the Palestinian Authority, he was ordered to leave Gaza. The article was later taken down after the journalist expressed fear for his safety.

An Italian Journalist, Gabriele Barbati, reported from Italy a day after he had witnessed a rocket launch that hit the Shati refugee camp and killed a number of children. Following the launch, he saw Hamas members clearing debris that could have testified to Hamas' involvement in the death of the children. In his tweet he wrote "Out of Gaza and far from Hamas retaliation," clarifying his reasoning for not reporting on this incident live the day before.

Towards the end of the 2014 conflict, the Foreign Press Association issued a harsh condemnation of Hamas' treatment of foreign journalists. This statement asserted that numerous foreign journalists "have been harassed, threatened, or questioned over stories or information they have reported." It further condemned Hamas' attempts to blacklist certain journalists it did not approve of.

Violations against Local Journalists

Local journalists receive even worse treatment, and have been jailed and tortured by Hamas as a result of their reporting. In these cases, where the journalists are not protected by foreign governments, Hamas enjoys more freedom to arbitrarily punish them as it sees fit, resulting in even more human rights violations. Mousheira al-Haj, the former editor of PFLP-associated news site Bawabet Alhadaf, wrote an article critical of Gaza's Health Ministry in 2015. Subsequently, her husband was called in by Hamas security forces multiple times for questioning and was warned that she would be arrested unless she retracted her criticism. When she refused to follow their instructions, she was arrested on August 5, 2015, jailed, and subjected to a full body search. She was released only after agreeing to publicly apologize to Hamas authorities.

Mohammed Othman, a writer for Al Monitor, was arrested by Hamas officials in September 2016 after writing several articles critical of the organization.  During his day and a half detention, he was tortured, forced to sit in painful positions, and deprived of food.

Ayman al-Alul, a Gazan journalist for the Iraqi television station al-Furat, was arrested on January 3, 2016, soon after criticizing the Hamas governing authorities. His electronic devices were confiscated and he was accused of slandering Hamas, violating Islamic law, and being a foreign agent and tortured severely. He was released after eight days with the intervention of the Red Cross and other human rights organizations, but was forced to sign a commitment to refrain from any criticism of Hamas. Since then, he has been subject to harassment on social media by Hamas activists, with threats and reminders of the abuse he endured.

On the same day as al-Alul's arrest, Hamas authorities also arrested Ramzi Herzallah, a former member of the military wing known for his critical posts on social media. In a testimony that closely matched al-Alul's, he reported that his devices were confiscated and that he was imprisoned and tortured until he gave over his passwords. Herzallah was released one week later, after the intervention of human rights organizations and pressure from his family. Upon his release, he too was forced to sign a message claiming that he had participated in a dangerous revolutionary movement and a commitment that he would not criticize the Hamas government or its workers. Around two weeks after his arrest, he was called in to the police station, where he was informed that Hamas was tracking his activity.

In the summer of 2016, there were two known cases of detained journalists. On July 25, Mahmoud Abu Awwad, a writer for the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds, was arrested and detained after publishing articles about the problems faced by Palestinians in Gaza. On August 18, Ahmed Said was arrested for broadcasting similar critical content. Said had hosted a radio talk show on in which Palestinians call in to discuss the issues they struggle with in society. While trying to understand the reasoning behind his arrest, Said was able to contact Hamas police spokesman Ayman al-Batnihi, who claimed he was deserving of death for the trouble he had caused Hamas.

As recently as April 26, 2017, Hamas arrested 17 activists and journalists charged with "spreading false rumors and news through social networking sites." The day before, Hamas authorities claimed to have discovered a plot to spread rumors throughout the Gaza Strip. However, many of the arrested denied these claims altogether. They were released with the help of human rights organizations and the Palestinian Journalists Union after signing a pledge to not publish rumors on social media and to verify reports on internal affairs with official Hamas sources. The arrests continued on April 29, when Amer Baalousheh, a journalist for the Egyptian El Badil newspaper, was abducted by Hamas gunmen. According to his testimony, he was beaten and taken to the Internal Security headquarters in the Jabaliya camp. 

These stories are just some of many violations of freedom of the press and speech committed against local and foreign journalists. By suppressing this basic right, Hamas prevents the majority of these stories from ever making it to the headlines. These violations are therefore particularly severe, in not only violating the rights of the journalists themselves, but also in managing to suppress reports of the many other human rights violations committed by Hamas in Gaza.