Forbidden Stories

A viral X account called Gazawood claims to expose alleged Palestinian “lies” from Gaza. But our new investigation reveals that it in fact practices online disinformation on a massive scale. According to Israeli NGO Fake Reporter, dedicated to fighting online hate and disinformation, only 5.75% of Gazawood’s so-called “debunks” are credible. With our partners at The Seventh Eye - העין השביעית and RFI - Radio France Internationale, we traced the disinformation back to three individuals — a fantasy author, a U.S. historian and a former Israeli general. Together, they're involved in a network that spreads false claims across social media, aided by influencers and a Telegram channel — all under the guise of “fact-checking.” 📖 Read the latest article of the #GazaProject: https://lnkd.in/gCgfhn9P

🇵🇪 Ivan Brehaut es un periodista independiente de Perú. Instalado en la Amazonía peruana, investiga los desafíos cruciales que afectan a esta región aislada: los derechos de las poblaciones indígenas, la corrupción y la destrucción del medio ambiente. Temas por los cuales se ve amenazado regularmente, mediante intimidaciones en la calle o intentos de pirateo. Para proteger su información sensible y perseguir sus investigaciones, hoy se une a nuestra Red SafeBox.

🚨Famine. Undrinkable water. Endless displacement. Corpses buried under rubble. This is what Jabalia has become. In October 2024, journalist Fadi Al-Wahidi was documenting the Israeli army’s third incursion into Jabalia camp, capturing the voices of displaced families, the destruction of homes, the fear, and the horrific conditions. While reporting, he was shot in the neck. He survived, but is now paralyzed. But what was he prevented from telling us? We picked up where Fadi left off, mapped the destruction and spoke with survivors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ek8EeK-B

At Forbidden Stories, we ensure that investigations in the public interest don’t die with those who report them. If a journalist is threatened, imprisoned, or assassinated, our network of 300 reporters and 110 news organizations steps in to continue their work. Our mission was inspired by the Arizona Project—a groundbreaking collaboration born in the U.S. in 1976 after journalist Don Bolles was murdered. Other American journalists refused to let his investigation die and worked together to finish it. Their findings were published in many medias, coordinated by Investigative Reporters and Editors. "This model is our only way to react if we want to continue reporting without being paralyzed by fear", said Laurent Richard in Columbia Journalism Review. 📖 Read Laurent Richard’s piece in CJR: https://lnkd.in/e5ReSYMN

🇮🇶 As an independent journalist in Iraq, Mohammed Al Sudani tirelessly investigates economic and health crises affecting the country’s communities. His work for Al Jazeera, BBC, DW, Jummar, and Raseef22 has exposed major scandals, from the rise of unlicensed "fake clinics" to the devastating health impact of brick factories on female workers. Despite constant threats from authorities and militias in Irak, he continues to report with discretion. As a member of the SafeBox network for more than a year now, he knows that his work will be continued and published if something happens to him.

Al Shati’s silent shore: once a place of life along Gaza’s northern coast, Al Shati is now rubble. Drone photographer Abdallah Al-Hajj tried to capture what remained—he was targeted by a drone strike in which he lost both of his legs on that day.  After his attack, others stopped filming. To continue their work, Mahmoud Isleem Al-Basos, through a rare ceasefire window, flew his drone over the coastline earlier in March to help us and Bellingcat elaborate an exclusive 3D map that reveals the devastation of the camp over time. 📍 See it here: https://lnkd.in/gdvzTjs7

📸 A photograher driven into exile after doing his job. Gazan photographer Yasser Qudih covered the October 7 attacks. A pro-Israeli NGO, HonestReporting, suspected him of having been alerted by the Islamist group ahead of time. Why? For HonestReporting, the mere presence of journalists at the scene of the attack seemed to imply that they had been informed Hamas’s plans.  Days later, his house was bombed, killing 8 family members. Smears, threats, and exile—this is the price he paid for documenting the beginning of the war in Gaza. Read the full investigation: https://lnkd.in/ehG3XvBH Bellingcat ARIJ Network

📡 Documenting Gaza—virtually—with an exclusive 3D map. Several days before his death on March 15, journalist Mahmoud Isleem Al-Basos filmed northern Gaza using a precise drone technique called photogrammetry—capturing destruction in unprecedented detail. Now, Forbidden Stories and Bellingcat have used his footage to create 3D models of Al-Shati and Jabalia camps, preserving evidence that satellites alone can’t show. This groundbreaking method ensures the work of Gaza’s journalists lives on. 🔎 Explore the interactive 3D map: https://lnkd.in/gdvzTjs7

🔎 Documenting Gaza from its skies. Before the war, Jabalia was Gaza’s largest and most densely populated refugee camp. Today, it is one of the most devastated areas. Hit by three Israeli military campaigns since October 2023, entire neighborhoods have been leveled, leaving residents facing famine and displacement. Our exclusive 3D map, elaborated with Bellingcat, reveals the scale of destruction. ⬇️ 📍 Explore it here: https://lnkd.in/gdvzTjs7 ARIJ Network

On October 9, 2024, Fadi Al-Wahidi was reporting alongside a crew of journalists from Al Jazeera, Al Araby TV, and others, in the Al Saftawi area near Jabalia, when what they claim was an “Israeli quadcopter” initiated a chase that ended with Al-Wahidi being shot in the neck. He was transferred multiple times in different Gazan hospitals in search of care. But despite urgent calls from the UN and human rights groups, Israel repeatedly denied his evacuation, citing “security reasons” without further explanation. It took 122 days to evacuate him to Egypt. 📖 Forbidden Stories and its partners reconstructed the attack and his agonizing wait for medical care. Read the full investigation: https://lnkd.in/dNdaHU6p ARIJ Network DIE ZEIT Bellingcat