The second edition of the Shireen Abu Akleh Prize has been awarded to Palestinian journalist Zareefa Abou Qoura in a ceremony held in Brussels, Belgium, on 11 May.
Launched by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International Francophone Press Union (UPF), the prize recognises the courage and professional commitment of Quora, who continues to report and document the latest developments in Palestine, where Israel is deliberately targeting journalists amid the ongoing massacre in Gaza.
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, said the IFJ.
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.
