LONDON: A 21-year-old journalist was killed in the West Bank on Sunday, with her family saying Palestinian Authority security forces were responsible for her death.

Shatha Al-Sabbagh died from gunshot wounds to the head near her home in the Jenin refugee camp, according to Jenin Governmental Hospital.

Her death brings the number of journalists killed in Gaza and the West Bank in the past two weeks to 10.

In a statement, Al-Sabbagh’s family said: “We hold the Palestinian Authority and its security services directly responsible for this crime. 

“This dangerous escalation shows that these agencies have become repressive tools practicing terrorism against their people, instead of protecting their dignity and confronting the Israeli occupation,” the family added.

The PA has been accused of a brutal crackdown on anti-Israel armed groups in Jenin and other areas since early December.

The authority said the campaign is part of a broader effort to “pursue criminals” and prevent areas like Jenin from becoming battlegrounds similar to Gaza.

At least six West Bank residents and five PA security officers were reportedly killed during clashes in these operations.

Palestinian security forces spokesman Anwar Rajab denied the accusations, attributing Al-Sabbagh’s death to “outlaws” in the camp.

He said that preliminary investigations and eyewitness testimonies indicated no PA security forces were present at the scene, a claim rejected by the family and residents of the Mahyoub neighborhood in Jenin.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has called for an independent investigation into Al-Sabbagh’s killing, urging the inclusion of a syndicate representative to ensure transparency and accountability.

Criticism of the PA’s campaign has also come from factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who accuse the authority of targeting resistance fighters in Jenin.

Some experts said that the PA is trying to impose its dominance over the region and demonstrate its ability to govern and manage internal security in postwar Gaza.

Local reports suggest the PA also stopped Qatar-based Al Jazeera’s operations in several West Bank cities, including Jenin and Tubas, earlier this month.

Al Jazeera condemned what it described as an “incitement campaign” by the PA’s ruling Fatah party against the network and its journalists.

Tensions throughout the West Bank remain high, exacerbated by Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 44,500 people, the majority of them women and children.

The year has been especially deadly for media workers in Palestine. At least 60 journalists were killed in 2024, most of them by Israeli forces.

On Friday, five media workers were killed in Gaza in an Israeli strike on their vehicle, which was clearly marked with the word “Press.”

Earlier in December, Israeli airstrikes killed four other journalists in separate incidents on Dec. 14 and 15.

ROME: Italy denounced Friday the “unacceptable” arrest of an Italian journalist in Iran, who her employer said was being held in solitary confinement in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Cecilia Sala was detained on Dec. 19 by police in Tehran, the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that Italy’s ambassador, Paola Amadei, had visited her earlier Friday.
Defense Minister Giudo Crosetto said on X that her arrest was “unacceptable,” adding that Italy was using “high-level political and diplomatic action” to try to secure her release.
Chora Media, an Italian podcast publisher for which Sala worked, said she had left Rome for Iran on Dec. 12 with a journalism visa, and was due to return on December 20.
But she went quiet on Dec. 19 and then did not board her flight. Shortly afterward she called her mother to say she had been arrested, it said.
“She was taken to Evin prison, where dissidents are held, and the reason for her arrest has not yet been formalized,” Chora said in a statement.
Sala also worked for Italian newspaper Il Foglio, which said she had been in Iran “to report on a country she knows and loves.”
“Journalism is not a crime, even in countries that repress all freedoms, including those of the press. Bring her home,” it said.
Chora said it had not publicized her case until now in the hope that she would swiftly be returned home. It called for her immediate release.
The foreign ministry said it had been following the case closely and was working with Iranian authorities to clarify Sala’s situation, including the conditions of her detention.
Sala, reported to be 29-years-old, had been able to make two phone calls to relatives, it said, without giving further details.