Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Fanny Facsar
00:33 Issam Rimawi | Cameraman
01:25 Fanny Facsar | Senior International Correspondent
02:47 Nabi Saleh, West Bank – April 2015
02:54 Al Mughayyir, West Bank – May 2025
03:12 Fanny Facsar | Senior International Correspondent
03:33 Sinjil, West Bank – July 2025 DW News
04:05 Shuruk Asad | Veteran journalist

Script:

TC 00:02
Before heading out to film, Issam Rimawi goes through his usual routine of checking his gear. His assignment: to cover a protest by families of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. He is extra diligent. Because since October 7th, 2023, he says, the risks of being a Palestinian cameraman have dramatically increased. 

TC 00:23 to 00:41  

+++ SOT Issam Rimawi (Arabic) (SOT 18 Sec.), cameraman  (SOT starts for one sec on Broll) 

Now, when I leave home, I never know whether I will come back to my wife, to my kids, to my family. Before the 7th of October, when I covered events I would go without fear. I wouldn’t be scared to go into the middle of a confrontation, but now they are threatening to shoot at us.  

(Broll Issam puts flak jacket in the car, then with FF in the car, driving to protest)  

 (photo of Muath on Issam’s phone (IG) attached to the car window inside).  

TC 00:43 and 00:58 In addition to Issam, we had arranged to speak with another journalist: to talk about his work. Muath Amarneh. But shortly before we were due to meet him, Muath was detained by Israeli authorities —like many other journalists in the occupied West Bank. 

TC 00:59 to 01:06  

+++ SOT Issam Rimawi (inside car, Arabic) (SOT 6 Sec.) 

 “He was arrested twice since October 7th without any charge. It is administrative detention. We are in solidarity with him.” 

(Broll Issam and FF in the car) 

01:19  

Administrative detention means: no charge, no trial. Our conversation is cut short —a  man on the street informs us, that the Israeli military is raiding the city centre. 

(Man outside of our car shouting to Issam – window pulled down)  

TC 01:20 - 01:24 Vox (Arabic, male) There are six cars and another six to protect them. They are shooting! (SOT 4 Sec.) 

(PTC inside the car) 

TC 01:24 - 01:43 

+++ PTC Fanny Facsar, Senior International Correspondent inside the car (explosion, English) [19 Sec] 
We are on the way to cover a protest, in the meantime we are hearing that the Israeli military is raiding Ramallah. We are hearing massive explosions, and this is the point where not only we do need to put our flak jackets on but we need to coordinate very well to stay safe. This is nearly a daily situation, Issam tells me”  

(Broll Issam and Fanny are putting flak jackets on outside of car) 

TC 01:46 – 01:54 The protest Issam planned to cover is no longer the story. 'Safety first,' he says — but staying safe here is anything but simple. 

(Broll Issam telling us to stay on left side of the street) 

TC 01:55 – 01:58 

+++ SOT Issam  (Arabic) “Here it is dangerous. Stay left!” [3 Sec.] 

(Broll soldier pointing gun at us)  

TC 01:59 – 02:04  

And then: The Israeli military points their gun at us. 

TC 02:05 – 02:10 

+++ SOT Issam (Arabic) “He is threating us that he will shoot live ammunition and teargas to keep us away from the area.” (8 Sec.) 

(Action, Issam running for cover 02:10 – 02:20) 

TC 02:20 – 02:23 SOT Issam (Arabic) “He is shooting at us directly. With teargas.” 

TC 02:26 – 02:30 Fanny (English): “They are shooting teargas, they are shooting towards journalists. How do you feel about this? 

TC 02:31 – 02:42  

+++ SOT Issam (Arabic) “They fear the camera because of the crimes we are showing  the world. That’s why they target us and our cameras.”  (10 Sec.) 

(Loud bang, Israeli military fires tear gas canisters) 

(Issam shouting towards military) 

TC 02:43 – 02:44 

+++ SOT Issam (Arabic) “I am here, I am here””  

(Broll private archive Issam beaten by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank + settler attack May 2025 Al Mughayyir, Issam laying on the ground) 

TC 02:47 – 02:53  

Date insert Nabi Saleh, West Bank – April 2015 Even before the current war, Issam says he experienced intimidation by Israeli security forces.  

TC 02:54 – 03:00  

Date insert:  Al Mughayyir, West Bank – May 2025  

In May this year, he was attacked by Israeli settlers.  

(Broll people in Ramallah, West Bank) 

TC 03:01 – 03:09 

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank rely on journalists like Issam to share their experiences of living under Israeli occupation. But… 

TC 03:10 – 03:3 

+++ PTC Fanny Facsar, Senior International Correspondent, Ramallah [27 Sec] 
…reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t just challenging — it’s dangerous. Both local and international journalists face real threats on the ground. Many of us have been harassed by Israeli settlers or intimidated by Israeli police and security forces while covering stories in the occupied West Bank. Just recently, settlers attacked some of my colleagues. TC 03:32 – 03:37 (DATE insert for overlay:  Sinjil, West Bank, July 2025 DW News) They escaped unharmed — but their car was damaged.  

(Broll with Journalism expert Westbank/Gaza in Ramallah) 

TC 03:39 – 03:49  

Israel wants to silence journalists, claims journalist Shuruk Asad. She says she’s covered the conflict for three decades but when the Gaza war began, everything escalated. 

TC 03:50 – 04:17 

+++ SOT Shuruk Asad, veteran journalist [English] “Escalation says [means] Israel decided from October 7th to make journalists a target. They really don’t want another narrative. Second: They don’t want any witnesses. They want to spread fear because they want anybody to think twice to decide to be journalist. They want as much as possible to stop them from work. To be threatened, afraid, not protected, traumatized. This is what Israel wants.” [20 Sec] 

(Broll Issam in the field, walking away with this camera) 

TC 04:20 – 04:25 

Whatever Israel’s intention, Issam says he wants to continue his work - even it means being detained or killed.  

TC 04:26 – 04:40 SOT Issam Rimawi, cameraman [Arabic] 

 “The flack jacket, the helmet at least shows we are press, journalists. This should give us a little bit of protection. But there is no safety. “ (Arabic) [10 Sec] 

TC 04:42 – 04:55  

Israel says it doesn’t target journalists as such. But in this conflict, the statistics – and experiences like today – show many of us don't feel protected when doing our work.  

((ABMOD: Since October 7th , according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 189 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza – making the war there the most dangerous conflict for media workers in recent history. In the same period, the organisation has documented 84 arrests of journalists by Israeli authorities in the Palestinian territories - about a dozen are still in administrative detention.))