The Palestinian News and Information Agency, WAFA, recorded 13 violations by the Israeli occupation forces against journalists in the Palestinian territories during the month of April.

In its monthly report on Israeli violations against journalists, WAFA said 11 journalists were injured in April by rubber-coated metal bullets, live ammunition or tear gas canisters fired by Israeli soldiers as well as from severe beatings. In addition, one Palestinian journalist was held in jail for more than a month and another had his press papers seized.

Xinhua photographer Nidal Shtayyeh, who was shot in the thigh by a rubber-coated metal bullet on April 19 while covering the Israeli army crackdown on the weekly protests in Kufr Qaddoum, is seen here after having been shot in the eye by an Israeli soldier while he was covering a demonstration in June 2015. (Photo: Activestills)

• On April 3, the Jerusalem District Court rejected an appeal filed by Mustafa Kharouf, a photographer for the Turkish Anadolu news agency, to release him from prison so that he could be with his family in Jerusalem pending his ordered expulsion to Jordan. Kharouf was held in incarceration until May 5, the day he was supposed to be expelled. However, on the appointed day, Kharouf’s attorney succeeding in getting an injunction from the Israeli High Court stopping the photographer’s expulsion until it hears his plea demanding his release and reunification with his family in Jerusalem.
• On Friday, April 5, Israeli forces hit two Palestinian correspondents with teargas canisters while they were covering the weekly Great March of Return protests east of the Gaza Strip: Safinaz al-Louh, a journalist with the Amad news agency, was struck in her right foot and Mohammad Issa, a news photographer for Noor, was injured in his leg.
• On April 10, Israeli forces raided the home of journalist Ra’ed al-Sharif in Hebron, held him and his family in one room while they performed a thorough search of his home during which they tampered with its contents.
• On Friday, April 12, Israeli forces shot Filistin al-Hadath photographer and correspondent, Ahmed al-Zurei, with a rubber bullet in the abdomen while he was covering the weekly protests east of al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip.
• A week later, on Friday April 19, during the protests east of the Gaza Strip, five media persons were injured by Israeli fire: Freelance photographer Abdel Rahim al-Khatib was hit by a rubber bullet in the left thigh; Reuters photographer Bassam Massoud was struck by a gas grenade behind his left ear; Watan radio reporter Mohammad al-Louh was hit in his foot by such a canister, as were freelance photographers Mahmoud Badr, in the left foot, and Ahmad Washah, in the head.
• Also on April 19, Xinhua (China news agency) photographer, Nidal Shtayyeh, and WAFA photographer, Ayman Noubani, were shot with rubber-coated metal bullets, both were hit in the thigh, while covering the Israeli army crackdown on the weekly protests in Kufr Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya in the north of the West Bank.
• On April 26, Israeli forces targeted Shihab news agency photographer, Ramadan al-Sharif, with a live bullet that hit him in his right foot while covering the protests east of Rafah in southern Gaza.

WAFA’s report indicated that “Israel’s daily attacks against journalists in the West Bank are part of its policy to [undermine] their activity and … role in covering the practices and violations committed by these forces against Palestinian civilians and property.”