Despite calls to protect journalists covering the escalation between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army announced that it is unable to guarantee the safety of journalists working in the Gaza Strip. The besieged sector has been subjected to intense Israeli bombardment for three consecutive weeks. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 27 journalists have been killed since the escalation began.
Published on: 10/28/2023 – 00:11
3 minutes
after 27 journalists killed Since the start of the escalation between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army said Friday that it cannot guarantee the protection of journalists covering the events. This comes as the Committee to Protect Journalists, headquartered in New York, confirms that 22 Palestinian journalists, four Israelis and one Lebanese were killed since the start of the escalation until the 27th of this month.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza says that about seven thousand people were killed due to the Israeli air strikes. As for Israel, the official toll indicates that about 1,400 people were killed due to the attack launched by Hamas on October 7th.
The Israeli army wrote a letter to Reuters and Agence France-Presse this week after requesting guarantees that Israeli strikes would not target their journalists in Gaza.
The IDF message stated, “The IDF targets all Hamas military activities along Gaza.” The letter added that Hamas deliberately carries out military operations “in close proximity to journalists and civilians.”
The Israeli army also said that its intensified strikes on Hamas targets may damage surrounding buildings, and that Hamas rockets may also be launched incorrectly, killing people inside Gaza.
The IDF’s letter concluded by saying, “Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee the safety of your employees, and we strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety.”
Hamas did not immediately comment when asked about the Israeli army’s allegations that it carried out military operations near where journalists were located in Gaza.
Reuters was not able to determine how many other news organizations operating in Gaza received the same message from the Israeli army. The Israeli army did not immediately provide a comment.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse said they were deeply concerned about the safety of journalists in Gaza.
Reuters said in a statement in response to receiving the letter, “The situation on the ground is horrific, and the Israeli army’s unwillingness to provide guarantees for the safety of our teams threatens their ability to report news of this conflict without fear of injury or death.”
Phil Chetwynd, director of global news at Agence France-Presse, said his news organization received the same message.
Chetwynd added, “We are in an incredibly dangerous situation, and it is important for the world to understand that there is a large team of journalists working in extremely dangerous conditions.”
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, there is a “decades-long lethal pattern” related to the killing of journalists, noting that for more than 22 years it has documented at least 20 cases in which journalists were killed by the Israeli Defense Forces.
The committee adds in a previous report, “Despite numerous investigations conducted by the Israel Defense Forces, no one has been charged and no one has been held accountable for these deaths. Impunity in these cases has severely undermined press freedom and endangered the rights of journalists.”
France 24/Reuters
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2023-10-27 22:11:00
