Following the 30 June attack on the Al-Baqa cafe in Gaza City resulting in the death of Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab, ARTICLE 19 calls on the international community to take immediate action to address Israeli forces’ ongoing violations, and to ensure the protection of journalists and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom.
On Monday, 30 June, 2025, Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab was killed in an airstrike carried out by Israeli forces targeting the Al-Baqa cafe, a popular gathering spot for journalists and activists in western Gaza City. Freelance journalist Bayan Abu Sultanj was also injured in the attack.
Al-Baqa Café, located along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, was one of the few remaining public spaces where journalists, activists, and students could access the internet and charge their devices in relative safety.
The attack is part of a broader pattern in which Israeli forces have targeted internet infrastructure and connectivity throughout the war. Earlier this month, on Tuesday, 10 June, Israeli warplanes reportedly struck landline internet infrastructure in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza and in the eastern part of the central Strip. The strike caused a complete internet blackout and disrupted journalistic work in those areas for 11 consecutive days.
These assaults on media professionals and communication infrastructure reflect a continued campaign against press and media freedom in Gaza . To date, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has confirmed that at least 185 journalists and media workers have been killed, including more than 17 journalists and two media workers who were directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces. Foreign journalists and media workers are still being denied entry to the West Bank, and media access remains heavily restricted. On Tuesday, 10 June, Israeli forces reportedly targeted an Al Jazeera crew and Palestine TV crew, using live bullets and tear gas while they were covering a military raid in the city of Nablus. On Sunday, 1 June, Israeli forces detained the Al-Ghad TV crew for about an hour and prevented them from continuing their journalistic work while they were covering a settler raid on the village of Khillet Al-Dabe’ in southern Hebron.
Palestinian Journalists have remained the only voices reporting from on the ground in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023, yet they continue to be targeted, attacked, and obstructed in an atmosphere of total impunity for crimes against them — in addition to facing famine and displacement.
ARTICLE 19 calls on the international community to take immediate action to address these continued violations carried out by Israeli forces. They must ensure the protection of journalists, and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom, as enshrined in international human rights law.