GFMD Information Sharing Meeting on Palestine (Aug. 2025)
Date: August 19, 2025
Meeting overview
The GFMD Information Sharing Meeting on Palestine brought together members, partners, and allies to exchange updates on the dire situation facing Palestinian journalists and to discuss collective strategies for advocacy, support, and accountability.
Since October 2023, journalists in Palestine have faced unprecedented levels of violence, repression, and systematic targeting. Participants shared testimonies, updates, and proposals for urgent and long-term interventions, underscoring the need for collective action to sustain independent media and protect journalists’ lives.
What did the participants share?
"Since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023, Palestinian journalists have faced an unprecedented campaign of violence, repression, and systematic targeting.” “We need to be much more bold these days and do things differently… the biggest nightmare right now is starvation.”
“We prioritised support for pregnant women, mothers with small children, and widows. They are the most vulnerable and the most at risk.”
“Rawan is a freelance journalist who was a member of Palestinian women journalist club,... is currently pregnant. She was posting in our group that, ‘I’m craving an orange, who has an orange, a single orange’, because this is all what she wanted at that point.”
“It is critical to think strategically about how we can keep the voice of independent Palestinian media strong and viable.”
“The Palestine Media Support Fund will cover four areas: core funding, professional development, research, and support for media sector bodies.
Key highlights from the meeting, as shared by GFMD members and colleagues working with journalists in Palestine and neighbourhood areas
Calls for bolder collective action:
Boycotts of the Israeli government in news coverage.
Advocacy for international legal accountability.
Use of UN and intergovernmental mechanisms to amplify pressure.
Ongoing initiatives
Palestinian Media Support Fund - Establishment of Palestine Media Support Fund developed by the IFJ in partnership with the Palestinian Media Sector Coordination Group (PMSCG), is set to operate as an independent public institution that awards grants to media organisations in the West Bank and Gaza. The launch event will serve as a space for dialogue among governments, development agencies, philanthropic actors, and Palestinian media stakeholders, with a focus on building sustained support and coordination
The aim is to have a board structure to provide:
Core funding for public interest media.
Professional development for journalists.
Research and knowledge production
Support for media representative bodies.
Avaaz Campaign (Blackout Campaign) - Involves blacking out websites and newspapers as a form of protest and solidarity. Organised in collaboration with Reporters Without Borders (RSF); many organisations, especially in Europe, are participating. ARIJ is part of the campaign and has disseminated information to publishing platforms across the MENA region, with some joining from Morocco to Oman. The campaign aims to draw attention to the targeting of journalists in Palestine and to pressure for greater action and accountability. American partners are reportedly less involved, while European organizations are more engaged.
ARIJ shared workspaces for journalists - ARIJ shifted focus from providing equipment (which became impossible to procure) to establishing two shared workspaces (a tent and an office) for journalists in Gaza City and northern Gaza. These spaces provide internet, electricity, clean water, bathrooms, and a dignified environment for journalists to work and upload material. The locations are kept confidential to avoid them being targeted; journalists are not allowed to do live coverage from these spaces for safety reasons. There is a need for additional internet access points in other locations, as journalists cannot always reach the main tents. Requests have been received from journalists for a place to do live coverage; ARIJ has access to set this up, but lacks the necessary funds. The initiative is a response to the dire working conditions and aims to support journalists’ ability to continue reporting under extreme circumstances.
Gaza Project - Coordinated in June 2024 and March 2025 with more than 50 journalists from 18 media outlets, the project investigated the targeting of Palestinian reporters and media buildings by the Israeli army, continued the unfinished reporting of journalists who were killed or injured, and exposed strategies by the Israeli government to avoid responsibility for their deaths.
Proposals and next steps
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