RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israel keeps 53 journalists in its prisons, including 43 who were arrested after the outbreak of the war against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian prisoners affairs groups said on Friday.

“The Israeli occupation detains 53 journalists in its prisons and camps, including 43 who were arrested after October 7, 2023,” said the Palestinian Prisoner Society and the Addameer association for Prisoner Support and Human Rights on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

The two institutions said the Israeli forces arrested and detained a total of 70 journalists after the outbreak of the war, including 43 who are currently held in their prisons.

It indicated that “four journalists from the Gaza Strip are still under forced disappearance.”

In their joint statement, the two Palestinian groups said the arrests highlighted “the systematic policies used by the occupation regime over many decades against Palestinian journalists.”

At least 141 journalists and media professionals were killed and more than 70 others were injured by Israeli army gunfire, in addition to the arrest of dozens during the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the Gaza-based Government Media Office said on Thursday.

Israel has for over half a year waged a war on Gaza that has resulted in widespread death and destruction in the coastal enclave.

More than 34,600 Palestinians have since been killed and over 77,800 injured. The vast majority of the dead have been women and children. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Israel also is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel's actions amount to genocide, and ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit such acts, and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi