News from the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate awarding the “Press Freedom” Award to Waal Dadouh

Yesterday Sunday, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate’s Council approved the recommendation of the Egyptian Press Awards Board of Directors to nominate Al Jazeera’s journalist and the director of its Gaza Strip office. Wael Dahedu Winner of the 2024 Press Freedom Award.

The alliance announced in a statement that its board of directors decided to award the award to Dahdu as “a symbol of the steadfastness of Palestinian journalists in the face of brutal Zionist aggression and its brutal war machine.”

Reporters Syndicate representative Hisham Younis said Dadouh’s nomination honors the martyrs of Palestinian journalism who paid with their lives to convey the truth and expose genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people, the Israeli narrative and Israel. The statement said that the Western media lied.

He added that the award was given to the director of Al Jazeera's Gaza Strip bureau in recognition of his professional role and the personal sacrifices he made after his wife, two children and other family members were killed by Israeli occupying forces. The fires in Gaza, and his insistence on continuing his journalism despite it all, suggest that Dadouh is establishing a new title for steadfastness: Palestinian.

The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate said its Press Freedom Award is awarded to journalists who have played a prominent role in defending press freedom, whether through their books, journalism or positions, explaining that the award may be awarded to journalists who have played no other role than those who have played this role. Individuals other than journalists or to one of the public or private legal figures (if they have made a valid contribution) support press freedom and the protection of journalists.