Gaza Journalists to Receive ‘Golden Pen’ Award for War Coverage Under Fire
The award will be presented on Monday to representatives of major international news agencies operating in Gaza, including Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, and Reuters. The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) said the recognition highlights the work of local journalists who continue to document the conflict under dangerous conditions.
In its citation, WAN-IFRA stated: “For over two and a half years, journalists in Gaza have recorded death, destruction, and human suffering in unparalleled terms.”
It further added: “They are as much victims of the conflict as they are chroniclers of a war that erupted -- and continues -- around them.”
The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, prompting a large-scale Israeli military response in Gaza.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 220 journalists have been killed since the start of the war, including at least 70 who were reportedly killed while performing their professional duties.
The Israeli military has stated that it does not deliberately target journalists, while also claiming that some individuals identified in the media environment were militants operating under journalistic cover.
AFP photographer Mohammed Abed, who previously worked in Gaza before relocating to Cairo in 2024, is expected to attend the award ceremony in Marseille.
WAN-IFRA said the award recognizes “the sacrifice and endurance of local Palestinian media professionals living and working in a war zone,” and also pays tribute to journalists who have been injured or killed.
According to reports, Israel has restricted foreign journalists from independently entering Gaza since the beginning of the war.
The broader conflict has resulted in a significant death toll in Gaza, which health authorities in the territory report has exceeded 72,800 people, the majority of them civilians.
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