A mounting body of evidence strongly suggests that the targeting of Palestinian media professionals forms part of a coherent state-driven policy, rather than isolated events. Organisations monitoring press freedom report that since 7 October 2023 the number of arrests and detentions of Palestinian journalists has surged, many held without charge, subjected to enforced disappearance, or treated in ways that amount to torture.

The legal architecture invoked by these actors includes provisions of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. These instruments define acts such as prolonged secret detention, systematic beating, sexual violence and enforced disappearance as crimes against humanity when carried out as part of a policy. The fact that scores of media figures are reported to be held under administrative detention without judicial process bolsters the argument for a deliberate policy targeting the role of journalism in documenting the realities on the ground. 

First-hand testimonies and NGO reports recount that detainees faced deprivation of sleep and food, solitary confinement, forced stripping, humiliating searches, threats of sexual violence and other overtly coercive measures. Legal observers warn that such treatment is not merely incidental but is integral to the objective of preventing the documentation of civilian suffering and obscuring accountability. 

Efforts to impede external scrutiny have also been noted: entry of international journalists, forensic experts and independent investigators has been blocked or heavily restricted, undermining the capacity for transparency. Observers describe this as a pattern of erasing evidence in the context of a broader genocidal war environment. 

In light of these developments, calls have intensified for the immediate establishment of an independent international investigation, as well as referral of these practices to the International Criminal Court. Protection mechanisms for journalists must be reinforced, including the prompt disclosure of the location and condition of those forcibly disappeared and immediate cessation of practices designed to silence dissent and witness.