Pregnant journalist killed in Gaza as media cries foul against Israel
Shafaq News – Gaza
Palestinian journalist Walaa al-Jaabari was killed alongside her husband, five of their children, and her unborn child, in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their home on Wednesday in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, according to Palestinian media reports.
Her death brought the number of journalists killed since October 7, 2023, to 231, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza, which described the toll as the result of “premeditated assassinations” to silence Palestinian voices.
الأخت الصحفية ولاء الجعبري وزوجها د. حسن الشاعر وأطفالها الخمسة وجنينها الذي في أحشائها قضوا إلى الله جميعاً في قصف همجي من المحتل المجرم على حي تل الهوى بمدينة غزة فجرًا.. pic.twitter.com/JSc2ge0E9O
— Khaled Safi 🇵🇸 خالد صافي (@KhaledSafi) July 23, 2025
Just days earlier, photojournalist Tamer al-Zaanin was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a raid that reportedly involved the abduction of Dr. Marwan al-Homs, director of Gaza’s field hospitals.
The Office called on international journalist unions—including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Federation of Arab Journalists—to break their silence. It also held the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France responsible for enabling what it called “genocidal crimes,” urging international courts to pursue accountability for Israeli officials.
The international media community has sounded its own alarms. On Tuesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) urged Israel to facilitate the immediate evacuation of its freelancers trapped in Gaza, warning they are facing not only the threat of bombing but also starvation and physical collapse.
“Their situation is now untenable,” AFP declared, describing conditions for its team on the ground as “appalling.” Ten freelancers—one writer, three photographers, and six videographers—remain inside Gaza, among the last international reporters documenting the war firsthand.
Depuis que l’AFP a été fondée en août 1944, nous avons perdu des journalistes dans des conflits, nous avons eu des blessés et des prisonniers dans nos rangs, mais aucun de nous n’a le souvenir d’avoir vu un collaborateur mourir de faim. Nous refusons de les voir mourir. pic.twitter.com/cIEp5PhmNV
— La SDJ de l'AFP (@SDJ_AFP) July 21, 2025
One of them, photographer Bashar Taleb, wrote in a Facebook post: “My body is thin, and I can no longer work,” revealing that his brother had recently collapsed from hunger. While the journalists still receive their salaries, food is either unavailable or priced beyond reach. AFP’s journalists’ union, the SDJ, warned: “Without intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.”
AFP management confirmed it is working to evacuate its staff and their families, despite the near-total closure of Gaza’s borders. “We share the anguish expressed by the SDJ union,” the agency stated, adding that it has been “helplessly witnessing the dramatic deterioration of their living conditions.”
Without immediate intervention,the last reporters in Gaza will die -Sin una intervención inmediata,los últimos reporteros de Gaza morirán-بلا تدخل فوري، آخر مراسلي وكالة فرانس برس في قطاع غزة مهددون بالموت جوعاً pic.twitter.com/3d3b1K61Oy
— La SDJ de l'AFP (@SDJ_AFP) July 23, 2025
Meanwhile, Israel’s assault on press freedom has extended to arrests. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that Israeli forces have detained 55 journalists since the war began, with 49 still held in detention. Human rights groups accuse Israeli authorities of torture, starvation, and medical neglect inside prisons.
More than 10,400 Palestinians are currently imprisoned, including 47 women, over 440 children, and 2,214 detainees from Gaza labeled as “unlawful combatants.” Rights monitors warn that these conditions have already led to multiple deaths behind bars.
