IFJ: Shireen Abu Akleh Prize awarded to Palestinian journalist Zareefa Abou Qoura

Zareefa Abou Qoura is a Palestinian journalist who has extensively covered the impact of the war on the Palestinian people. She has reported on the daily lives of Gazans as well as on attacks on food distribution sites, among others. She has also worked on investigative reports into the torture of Palestinian doctors in Israeli detention centers and the use of police dogs as weapons against civilians. She has reported from Gaza for media organisations including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, the BBC, Nawa & Raseef22, and ARIJ.

Since Israel launched its invasion of Gaza on 7 October 2023, at least 235 journalists and media workers have been killed in Palestine. Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza are risking their lives to report the truth. Against this backdrop, the jury recognised the courage and professionalism of Zareefa Abou Qoura, who continues to report from Palestine.

The Shireen Abu Akleh Prize, launched by the IFJ and the UPF in 2024, recognises the courage and determination of female journalists. It pays tribute to the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces while covering a raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on 11 May 2022. Four years after her murder, impunity still prevails.

Zareefa Abou Qoura said: “I kept going even as our numbers shrank — even as colleagues who were just standing next to me were killed, their deaths reduced to just another news item. ⁠⁠I kept going even when our neighbours became afraid of us journalists and asked us to leave, fearing that the bombs would follow us. ⁠⁠I kept going as a starving journalist covering the starvation of others, walking long distances just to charge my phone or find an Internet signal, writing my pieces and sending them with my laptop balanced on my knees — no chair, no table, nothing. The world has no idea what it means to be a journalist in Gaza, where most journalists cover the war without a flak jacket or helmet — the most basic protective gear — because Israel bars their entry. I remember tracking down a tailor with dark navy fabric and putting together a makeshift foam vest with the word ‘PRESS’ written on it.” In her speech, Qoura thanked women journalists around the world and delivered a message to those working in conflict zones: “To my colleagues in Gaza and across all of Palestine, and to my fellow journalists in Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, and every conflict zone in the world — thank you, because you embody courage and strength by continuing to do this work despite all the danger.”

Former IFJ President Dominique Pradalié, who is part of the jury’s Prize, said: “Once again, all the nominations we received have shown us how women journalists around the world are fighting to protect the public’s right to information and press freedom. Of all these invaluable commitments, the courage and professionalism of the Palestinian journalist Zareefa Abou Qoura, reporting under constant targeting and surveillance of journalists, led the jury to recognise Qoura and her work. We will continue to strive to put an immediate end to the killings of journalists and media workers in Palestine and to ensure that impunity is brought to an end and justice is upheld.”

UPF Secretary General and co-founder of Shireen Abu Akleh Prize Zara Nazarian added: “The choice of the winner was quite clear to the jury, as it reflects both the quality of the journalistic work and the exceptional – and clearly dangerous – conditions in which it was carried out. The Shireen Abu Akleh Award is becoming increasingly relevant in the international context, as journalists, particularly female journalists, are still in the firing line, both literally and figuratively.”