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Palestinian journalists Ola al-Zaanoun and Motaz Azaiza were honored by Reporters Without Borders (RSF Espana) during a ceremony in Madrid, receiving top awards in recognition of their reporting and documentation of the war in Gaza and the heavy toll on the press.
According to al-Zaanoun, the award honors the martyrs of Palestinian journalism during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and recognizes all Palestinian journalists who remain on the front lines in Gaza, continuing to report and convey the truth to the world.
In her speech at the ceremony, al-Zaanoun—RSF’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip—thanked the organizers and the Spanish media institutions that sponsored the event for their support of Palestinian journalists.
Al-Zaanoun said journalists in Gaza “paid a heavy price,” noting that over 260 journalists have been killed and hundreds injured, some requiring urgent medical treatment.
Al-Zaanoun called for continued support from international organizations to defend journalists in Gaza and Palestine, who look to the international community for greater advocacy and accountability for war criminals and the killers of journalists.
She emphasized that protecting press freedom is essential to protecting human freedom.
Members of the award council, along with Spain’s ministers of culture and youth, senior journalists, media figures, human rights and civil liberties organizations, and the Palestinian ambassador to Spain, presented the awards to al-Zaanoun and Azaiza.
For his part, Azaiza underlined the importance of the role played by Palestinian journalists in reporting and conveying information to the world, and he thanked RSF and the award committee for the honor.
He described the honor as recognition of their resilience, courage, and commitment to press freedom.
Spain’s minister of culture reaffirmed his government’s full support for Gaza’s journalists and strongly condemned the assault on the Strip.
He praised the role of Palestinian reporters, saying that without their efforts and field reports, the world would not have known the details of the war.
Alfonso, the head of RSF in Spain, pledged to expose the violations and crimes committed against journalists, stressing that the organization will spare no effort in pursuing the perpetrators before international courts, including the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He reiterated RSF’s unwavering support for Gaza’s journalists and called for opening the crossings to allow foreign journalists to enter and to ensure protection for Palestinian reporters.
He also praised al-Zaanoun’s daily and real-time documentation of violations, which formed the core of the Gaza journalists’ dossier submitted by RSF and other organizations to international courts.
During the ceremony, a film was shown commemorating the names of journalists killed in Gaza during the war.
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