The Palestinian journalists who have been covering the devastating war in Gaza were named winners of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on Thursday.
The top award for reporters who have born witness to the destruction of much of their homeland under Israel's relentless bombardment came at the recommendation of an International Jury of media professionals.
"In these times of darkness and hopelessness we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances", said Mauricio Weibel, who chaired the jury.
Huge debt
"We have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression". he added.
The UN science, education and culture agency's chief Audrey Azoulay said that the Prize reminded everyone of "the importance of collective action to ensure that journalists around the world can continue to carry out their essential work to inform and investigate".
The ongoing conflict in Gaza is having grave consequences for journalists. Since 7 October, UNESCO has condemned and deplored the deaths of 26 journalists and media workers in the line of work, based upon information from its international NGO partners.
UNESCO is supporting journalists reporting from conflict and crisis zones which includes distributing essential supplies to journalists in Gaza, and has established safe working spaces and provided emergency grants for journalists in Ukraine and Sudan.
