RANYA ABDULLAH

Yemen - Israeli forces have directly targeted journalists in the Gaza Strip, with around 246 journalists killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. In the past 15 days alone, 14 more journalists have been killed.

 

Global solidarity

 

In response to this systematic targeting, more than 257 media outlets from over 50 countries joined an international campaign organized by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Avaaz. The campaign condemned Israel’s attacks and expressed solidarity with Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

 

The campaign drew wide attention: newspapers printed black front pages, news websites posted banners, television channels aired solidarity videos, and radio stations broadcast messages calling for protection of Palestinian journalists. The initiative also demanded that international media be granted access to Gaza to freely cover events on the ground.

 

Systematic targeting of journalists

 

Yemeni journalist and member of the Journalists’ Syndicate Council, Fatima Mutahar, said: “Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza amounts to an ongoing war crime against the Palestinian people.”

 

She added: “Journalists are deliberately targeted for reporting the truth. They are the only link documenting Israel’s crimes to the world, and that is why Israel wants to silence them.”

 

Mutahar stressed that 247 journalists have been killed, their offices and even tents deliberately attacked despite international laws protecting press workers. She said the media blackout and ban on international correspondents entering Gaza was a “failed attempt to conceal crimes inside the Strip.”

 

Mutahar also highlighted solidarity actions by journalists worldwide: “We took part in the International Federation of Journalists’ campaigns, including the solidarity sit-in on August 26 condemning Israel’s systematic killings. We call for international media access to Gaza and for urgent protection of journalists as the voice of truth.”

 

Yemeni broadcaster Yeristin Al-Nahmi said the targeting of journalists reflects “the scale of the humanitarian and moral crisis facing the world today. Silencing journalists is a blatant violation of press freedom and human rights.”

 

She added: “Every person around the world has the right to know the truth. Preventing international journalists from entering Gaza is a direct violation of that right. We urge the international community to intervene immediately to stop these violations and ensure free media access.”

 

Meanwhile, journalist Islam Hamidan expressed deep grief and shock over the killings of her colleagues in Gaza, stressing the need to end what she described as a systematic campaign of attacks. “The Israeli authorities must immediately cease targeting journalists, halt repeated assaults against them, and open investigations into these crimes,” she said.