The Politkovskaya Prize was awarded to Palestinian female journalists.

"After Israel forbade independent access to Gaza for foreign journalists, Palestinian journalists, many of whom are women, have become virtually the sole voice and source of news from the Gaza Strip," notes RAW in WAR, an organization that supports women in conflict zones.

The organization highlighted the bravery of all Palestinian female journalists who, despite the risk to their lives, "strive to report the truth amid the ongoing conflict."

According to a press release from RAW in WAR, over 150 journalists and media workers have died during the year of war in Gaza. The exact number of media casualties is unknown and ranges from 139, according to the International Federation of Journalists, to 175, based on figures from the Palestinian side. In February 2024, UN experts described the conflict in Gaza as "the deadliest and most dangerous for journalists in modern history."

The award for Palestinian female journalists will be presented at the "Women of the World" festival in March 2025.

• Israel is conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on the southern part of the country on October 7, 2023. At that time, over 1,200 people were killed in Israel, and more than 250 were taken hostage and brought to Gaza. Some remain hostages to this day. Israel claims its goal is the complete destruction of Hamas.
• Part of the international community accuses Israel of exterminating peaceful Palestinians in Gaza. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, over 41,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli bombardments, mostly women and children.
• Israeli military officials state that they are targeting only Hamas infrastructure, asserting that Hamas places its facilities in densely populated areas, using civilians as human shields.