Gaza: Journalists Under Fire

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FILM DESCRIPTION

Since October 7, 2023, at least 178 journalists have been killed in Gaza. That's more journalists than in both World Wars combined. While the world remains silent, we must raise our voices against injustice. In this poignant new documentary, Robert Greenwald will expose Israel’s crimes against journalism and humanity through the lives and deaths of Palestinian journalists Belal Jadallah, Heba Al-Abadla, and Ismail al-Ghoul.

Bilal Jadallah was a prominent Palestinian journalist and media figure, tragically killed in an Israeli airstrike during the ongoing war in Gaza. As director of the Press House-Palestine, an independent media organization based in Gaza City, Jadallah was deeply committed to defending freedom of the press and supporting local journalists under increasingly dire conditions. He was known for fostering independent journalism, mentoring young reporters, and amplifying voices often silenced amid conflict. On November 19, 2023, Jadallah was reportedly killed while attempting to leave Gaza City after being denied safe passage through an Israeli military checkpoint. He was the 49th journalist killed.

Heba Al-Abadla was a dedicated Palestinian journalist and media advocate who worked as a host for Al-Azhar radio, a station affiliated with Al-Azhar University in Gaza. A passionate voice for her community, she co-founded the Social Media Club-Palestine and was widely recognized for her efforts to empower women and youth through media, civic engagement, and political participation. Al-Abadla’s work bridged journalism and activism, reflecting her belief in the power of storytelling to drive change. On December 5, 2023, she was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Yunis, alongside her young daughter Judy, her mother, and several other family members. She was the 84th journalist killed in the war.

Ismail al-Ghoul was a 27-year-old Palestinian journalist known for his fearless field reporting with Al Jazeera. Based in Gaza, he often covered some of the most dangerous and emotionally harrowing events in the region, driven by a commitment to bearing witness. On July 31, 2024, al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami al-Refee, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck their vehicle in the Shati refugee camp, near the home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had been assassinated earlier that day in Tehran. Al-Ghoul was a husband and the father of a toddler daughter. He was the 126th journalist killed.

Sabrine Al-Abadla is a Palestinian woman from Rafah, Gaza—a wife, mother of two, and the sister of slain journalist Heba Al-Abadla. In December 2023, Sabrine lost 57 members of her extended family in a single Israeli airstrike on her uncle’s home, where they had taken shelter after being besieged and cut off from the outside world. Her mother, sister, nieces, nephews, and many others were among those killed—most never recovered from the rubble. Since then, Sabrine has made it her mission to speak publicly about what happened, even as she continues to live under siege herself. With little access to electricity or internet, and at great personal risk, she has refused to be silenced. Even in the shadow of unimaginable loss, she continues to share her family’s story with the world and fight for a future where her children can grow up in a free and peaceful Palestine.

SCREENINGS

TAKE ACTION

Actions You Can Take Now to Support Gaza & Palestinian Journalists

Donate to Gaza Relief
Give to trusted orgs like UNRWA or Medical Aid for Palestinians for food, medicine, and shelter.
Support Palestinian Journalists
Donate to orgs like Press House Palestine, Filistinyat, Committee to Protect Journalists, or Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to help keep them safe and reporting.
Host a Screening or Community Conversation
Show the film. Host a Q&A. Create space for learning and action. End with this list of ways people can show up and plan actions.
Email or Call Elected Officials
Tell your reps to support a permanent ceasefire, end military aid to Israel, and back war crimes investigations. See if your Congressmember is being funded by AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee). Demand that your congressmember stop taking money from AIPAC! https://democracy.io/ will find your representative and help you write and send a letter online.
Join or Organize a Protest
Take to the streets in solidarity. Find or host actions via groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, ANSWER Coalition, or local Palestine solidarity networks.
Boycott Companies Complicit in Occupation
Avoid brands like HP, Chevron, Siemens, and others profiting from apartheid or arms sales to Israel. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.
Pressure Institutions to Divest
Call on schools, churches, unions, and pension funds to divest from weapons manufacturers and Israeli banks linked to war crimes.
Spread the Word
Use your platforms to share stories, footage, and voices from Gaza. Follow and amplify Palestinian journalists on social media.
Fund or Ship eSIMs for Gaza
Help restore internet access. Support campaigns like Connecting Humanity to provide digital lifelines to trapped civilians and journalists.
Adopt a Family or Contribute to Mutual Aid
Many verified grassroots fundraisers directly support displaced Palestinian families. Look for community-led mutual aid campaigns online.
Contact Your Local Press
Whether it's radio, TV station, or podcast to amplify the killing of journalists.

GAZA WAR FACTSHEET

A Chronicle of the War’s Impact on Journalists, Civilians, and Infrastructure
As of April 2025

Journalists Killed - 178 journalists and media workers killed in the Israel-Gaza war as of April 2025. — Committee to Protect Journalists

Bilal Jadallah was the 49th journalist killed.
Heba Al-Abadla was the 84th journalist killed.
Ismail Al-Ghoul was the 126th journalist killed.
— Committee to Protect Journalists

Unprecedented Toll on Journalists - Israeli forces have killed more journalists in 18 months than were killed in:

- The U.S. Civil War
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- Afghanistan War combined. — Nick Turse, “News Graveyards,” Costs of War Project, Brown University

Journalists Under Attack Between October 2023 – April 2025:

84 journalists arrested or detained
93 journalists wounded — Committee to Protect Journalists

70 press facilities in Gaza have been destroyed. — Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate

RSF and CPJ rejected Israel's accusations that Ismail Al-Ghoul was a Hamas terrorist as unsubstantiated. — Reporters Without Borders & Committee to Protect Journalists

Hossam Shabat was deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli army on March 24, 2025. — Reporters Without Borders

Civilian Deaths and Destruction

November 18, 2023 (Day 44 of the war):
- 15,271 total deaths in Gaza — Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor

By April 2025:
- 17,000 children killed — The Guardian

- 92% of housing units damaged or destroyed
- 90% of water and sanitation systems destroyed — Bernie Sanders’ Senate Speech - April 3, 2025

U.S. Military Support to Israel

Annual U.S. military aid to Israel: $3.8 billion — U.S. State Department

Approximately 70% of Israel’s arms over the past decade come from the U.S. — Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

U.S. Weapons Approvals

2024: U.S. approved $20 billion in weapons to Israel, including:

- 50 F-15IA fighter jets
- 30 AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles
- 320 missile launchers
- 25 M61A Vulcan cannons
- 32,739 120mm tank cartridges
- 50,400 high-explosive mortar rounds — Defense Security Cooperation Agency

2. 2025: U.S. approved an additional $10 billion in weapons, including:

- 45,294 bombs
- 3,000 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles
- 22,479 DAM guidance kits
- Heavy-duty tanks
- D9 bulldozers — Defense Security Cooperation Agency

CREDITS

Director/Producer: ROBERT GREENWALD

Founder and president of Brave New Films, a nonprofit production company that creates and distributes investigative political and social justice documentaries. Brave New Films (BNF) has released a series of documentaries that examine key issues affecting Americans today, including voting restriction legislation, criminal justice reform, reproductive freedom, and global affairs. Greenwald and Brave New Films continue to provide short, hard-hitting, and wide-reaching social justice films, such as SUPPRESSED AND SABOTAGED (2024), E. JEAN CARROLL V. DONALD TRUMP (2024), and BEYOND BARS (2023). Brave New Films distributes its films free of charge through both social channels and registered screenings, in concert with schools, faith communities, and other nonprofit partners. BNF’s movies and videos have been screened worldwide and viewed tens of millions of times.

Producer: CASEY COOPER JOHNSON

Prior to his work in Los Angeles, Casey lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo, producing documentaries and television, including the internationally syndicated current affairs show, “Life in Kosovo”. At the American Film Institute, Johnson wrote and directed the short film “Unmanned”, which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. He co-wrote and produced the award-winning feature film, ZANA (2019), which premiered at TIFF. As Head of Production at Brave New Films, Casey produced documentaries, SUPPRESSED: THE FIGHT TO VOTE (2019), RACIALLY CHARGED: AMERICA’S MISDEMEANOR PROBLEM (2020), and BEYOND BARS (2023).

Co-Producer: SEAN O'BRIEN

An advocate for social justice with a lifelong commitment to effecting change through the arts. Originally from the New Orleans area, his work is shaped by the multi-cultural influence of growing up as a first-generation Nicaraguan American in Southern Louisiana. He studied theatre at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After graduating, he worked in the New Orleans film industry, which ultimately led him to Los Angeles.

Development Director: KIMBER KISSEL

With over a decade of experience in nonprofit and documentary film development, Kimber is a seasoned fundraiser working at the intersection of narrative change and progressive civic engagement. Kimber began her career in electoral politics, working on successful campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels. Kimber brings a deep understanding of movement-building and storytelling to her work, helping mission-driven organizations grow their impact through strategic fundraising and authentic engagement.

Development, Outreach and Social Media Associate: FARRAH FARLEY

Farrah is a story associate producer and social justice advocate. She grew up in Jordan and Washington, D.C. and focused her studies on the Middle East at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and UT Austin’s Graduate LBJ School of Public Affairs. She exercised the transformative power of storytelling as volunteer chair for the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Fest, a consultant for SXSW Film Fest, and a post-production story associate producer for the Real Housewives franchise.

Outreach and Distribution Coordinator: SHERIF MANSOUR

Mansour is an Egyptian-American democracy and human rights advocate, best known for his work defending journalists and helping Arab Spring organizers, as well as for his research expertise in foreign policy. Most recently, he served as the Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, where he managed an international team of researchers and advocates on issues of press freedom, government censorship and surveillance, and journalist safety.

Researcher: TATIANA GARNETT

Tatiana is an emerging filmmaker from Los Angeles with a passion for creative storytelling and collective imagination. She earned her BA in Media Arts & Culture from Occidental College and furthered her film education as a DocX Archive Lab Fellow at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. Most recently, she has been documenting patient and caregiver health stories with MyHealthTeam, continuing her commitment to work rooted in community and care.

Assistant Editor: MYRA BOUTROS

Myra is passionate about telling people’s stories, especially the ones that don’t get told too often. She was born and raised in Beirut, where she earned a master's in filmmaking. She’s had quite the adventure working on documentaries for PBS “NOVA” and PBS “American Experience” since she moved to the U.S. She’s also had the honor of telling stories that were award winning independent documentaries like “Nasser’s Republic, the making of modern Egypt,” “Weed and Wine,” “Growing through COVID-19,” and “The Philadelphia Eleven.”

Social Media Manager: Ana Breton
In-House Accountant: Lily Takanashi
Project Manager: Quatoyiah Murry
Press Adviser: Ira Arlook