Gaza Herald – The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has announced that the 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom Award will be presented to Gaza-based photographers and video journalists working for the world’s three leading international news agencies: Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Associated Press (AP), and Reuters.
The prestigious international award recognizes the journalists who have documented the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, often risking their lives to bring images and eyewitness accounts to the world. In contrast, foreign journalists remain largely unable to access the territory.
The award ceremony is scheduled for next Monday in the southern French coastal city of Marseille, on the sidelines of the 77th World News Media Congress.
Representing Palestinian journalists in the field, photographers Mohammed Salem of Reuters, Fatima Shbair of AP, and Mohammed Abed of AFP have been selected to receive the award on behalf of their colleagues.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Palestinian photographer Mohammed Abed, who spent seven months documenting events in Gaza before leaving the territory, said the award carries profound professional and humanitarian significance.
“This award is not only for the journalists who are alive,” Abed said. “It belongs to everyone, especially the journalists who were killed, as well as those who were wounded, detained, disappeared, and those who remain in Gaza today. They are the true front line.”
Reflecting on the impact of the images captured during the war, Abed added: “Without these photographs and videos, there would not have been this shift in global awareness. These images have helped change public opinion and transformed the way the world views what is happening.”
The award comes as WAN-IFRA described Gaza’s journalists as victims of the war as much as they are chroniclers of the war unfolding around them.
According to reports by Reporters Without Borders, more than 260 journalists have been killed since the Israeli war began in October 2023, underscoring the heavy toll paid by Palestinian media workers while reporting from Gaza.
