Israel must stop targeted killing of journos
We are outraged by the targeted killing of journalists, including an Al Jazeera news team, in Gaza by Israeli forces on August 10. The victims were 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif, one of the most well-known Palestinian journalists in Gaza; correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh; cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal; and freelance journalists Moamen Aliwa and Mohammad al-Khaldi. They were killed when an Israeli drone strike hit a media tent set up outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital. The killings occurred just days after Israel's security cabinet approved its plans to seize Gaza City and send troops into the region. Before this incident, at least five other Al Jazeera journalists were killed by Israel since the war began. Reporters Without Borders estimates that nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war so far. These killings underscore the grave risks faced by media workers covering the war in Gaza and Israel's clear attempt to erase witnesses to the genocide being committed in Palestine.
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Sharif was one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable journalists reporting daily from Gaza since the war began. In April, he wrote a message to be shared in case of his death, where he said his voice had been silenced and urged the world "not to forget Gaza." In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his protection after an Israeli military spokesperson targeted him online. CPJ criticised Israel for repeatedly labelling journalists as militants without credible evidence, noting that similar allegations had been made against other media workers. As Palestinians mourned the deaths of the journalists, Israel confirmed it had targeted Sharif, calling him a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas who "posed as a journalist." However, it has yet to provide any evidence backing its claim.
According to Brown University's Costs of War project, more journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023 than in the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan combined. The deliberate targeting and killing of local journalists and bar on international journalists from covering its atrocities in Gaza is nothing but Israel's tactic to obscure the brutal realities on the ground. The world must do what is needed to put an immediate end to Israel's atrocities in Gaza and stand united in protecting those who risk everything to tell the truth.
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