Ramallah: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Palestine has reported that Israel has significantly escalated its repression against journalists, human rights defenders, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over the past two years. This intensification has severely undermined various human rights of Palestinians, including their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the OHCHR stated that the space for monitoring and documenting human rights violations, seeking accountability, or advocating for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is steadily decreasing. Between October 7, 2023, and December 14, 2025, the UN Human Rights Office verified the killing of 289 journalists in Gaza by Israeli military operations, with strong indications that some were deliberately targeted due to their work.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported that Israeli security and military forces have detained at least 202 Palestinian journalists from both Gaza and the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and October 31, 2025. As of the latter date, 41 journalists remained detained.
The OHCHR highlighted that most journalists were held under administrative detention, which, in the context of Israel's occupation, results in arbitrary deprivation of liberty and exposes detainees to torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance. Since October 7, 2023, at least 85 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody.
Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory mentioned Israel's restriction on international journalists' access to Gaza and the undue limitations on international media outlets in the West Bank. In April 2024, Israel enacted a law allowing authorities to close foreign media outlets deemed a threat to national security and later issued military orders to shut down Al Jazeera's offices in Ramallah and block its broadcasts.
The OHCHR noted that the shrinking space for independent journalism is part of a broader crackdown on human rights defenders, anti-occupation activists, and civil society organizations, which has intensified since October 7, 2023. Israel's 2016 counter-terrorism law and the 1945 Defense (Emergency) Regulations are reportedly used against Palestinian NGOs to justify raids, constrain funding, and arrest staff, owing to the law's vague language and sweeping powers.
Additionally, in March 2025, an Israeli interministerial decision effectively revoked the registration of all international NGOs operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, requiring re-registration under new conditions, hindering the UN-led humanitarian response in Gaza and the work of Palestinian civil society organizations.
The OHCHR also described the contraction of physical space available to Palestinians. In Gaza, most are confined to less than half of the strip due to an arbitrary redeployment line maintained by Israeli forces. In the West Bank, Palestinians face unprecedented rates of displacement, clearing the way for expanding Israeli settlements.
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, expressed concern over these violations, stating that they create fear and despair among Palestinians, leaving them with no avenues to convey their reality, seek justice, or defend their human rights.