Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) issued in July 2001 a report on journalists injured during the al-Aqsa Intifada 6. This report was based on data collected by the PHRMG and on RSF's own field mission, and covered 45 documented cases of gunshot wounds. The main findings of the report are as follows:

· Most of the incidents took place in the fourth quarter of 2000, i.e. at the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada. This can be explained by the unclear rules of combat that increased the possibility of journalists being caught off guard, the high number of journalists present in the area, and the competition between journalists that induced them to take greater risks.

· The incidents were not random but took place in six combat sites (al-Bireh, Hebron, al-Haram ash-Sharif, Bethlehem, al-Mintar and Khan Younis) well known to Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants, as well as journalists.

· Journalists were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets and live ammunition. However, in proportion to the number of incidents, there are increasing numbers of injuries from live ammunition, indicating a growing intensity of violence.

· Journalists were clearly identifiable by their equipment, general attitude, as well as usually a helmet and bulletproof jacket sometimes marked "Press." However, RSF agrees that the visibility of press equipment should not be overestimated at distances greater than 100-150 meters.

· In only one case was the journalist positioned between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants when he was injured. In all other cases, journalists were either positioned more or less away from the militants, or there were no confrontations at the time. Palestinian militants were never taking shelter behind the journalists.

· Most worrying are cases where no confrontations were taking place when the journalist was injured, as is the case in at least three, well-documented cases 7.

· In six cases, the journalist escaped near-death 8. In three cases, the injuries sustained will probably have life-long consequences 9.

· 75% of journalists injured were Palestinian. This reflects the ambiguous position of Palestinian journalists. On the one hand, they receive accreditation cards like foreign journalists and can be employed by foreign press agencies. On the other hand, Israel suspects these Palestinians of encouraging hostile activities and treats them with suspicion and repression. Verbal or physical aggression by soldiers is not rare, and Palestinian journalists have also been repeatedly harassed by Israeli settlers, regardless of the presence of law enforcement officers. This climate feeds the perception by Palestinian journalists that they are deliberately targeted, and in some cases, RSF found this theory plausible.

· Foreign journalists do not believe that Israel has a deliberate policy of firing at media professionals. However, they do point to certain cases where journalists were deliberately injured. They attribute these cases to local initiatives, taken on the spot, individually or with the consent of the officers commanding the site.

· Investigations are not systematically opened by the Israeli authorities when a journalist is hurt. RSF found no evidence of even a single serious investigation being carried out when a Palestinian journalist was hurt. It appears that serious investigations were only conducted in two cases where foreign journalists were seriously injured 10.

The complete report, including the details of the 45 cases of journalists injured during the al-Aqsa Intifada, can be found on www.rsf.org.

• 6 REPORTERS SANS FRONTIERES, Case study of 45 journalists injured by bullets in the Occupied territories from September 2000, August 2001
• 7 Ibrahim al-Hussary, injured on 21 October 2000 in al-Bireh, Laila Odeh, injured on 20 April 2001 in Rafah, and Bertrand Aguirre, injured on 15 May 2001 in Ramallah.
• 8  Abdel al-Khatib, injured on 20 October 2000, Ibrahim al-Hussary, injured on 21 October 2000, Jacques-Marie Bourget, injured on 21 October 2000, Benjamin Wedeman, injured on 31 October 2000, Yola Monakhov, injured on 11 November 2000, and Bertrand Aguirre, injured on 15 May 2001.
• 9 Jacques-Marie Bourget, injured on 21 October 2000, Yola Monakhov, injured on 11 November 2000, and Laurent van der Stockt, injured on 9 February 2001.
• 10 The two cases are Benjamin Wedeman, CNN Cairo Bureau Chief, injured by live ammunition in the back on 31 October 2000 in Gaza, and Yola Monakhov, photographer with Associated Press, injured by live ammunition in the abdomen on 11 November 2000 in Bethlehem.