News Center- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organizations call on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible in response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas.

In the letter published on the official website of RSF on Monday, the 60 organizations have called for these urgent measures to the European Union as its foreign ministers prepare to meet in Brussels on 29 August.

Carried out in contravention of Israel’s human rights and international humanitarian law obligations, the killings and other media freedom violations should trigger the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and further EU targeted sanctions against those responsible, the letter said.

“It is time to move from verbal condemnations to action. Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement stipulates that their relations are based on an essential component, which is respect for human rights and democratic principles,” said Julie Majerczak, head of RSF’s Brussels office. “The Israeli government is clearly trampling on this article. The EU, which is Israel’s leading trade partner, must draw the necessary conclusions from this and must do everything to ensure that the Netanyahu government stops massacring journalists and respects the right to information and press freedom by opening media access to Gaza. The credibility of the EU is at stake.”

169 journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, according to the statement issued by the Government Media Office in Gaza on August 19.