UN Experts: States must stop “Israel” before all journalists in Gaza silenced
UN experts expressed their grave concern on Thursday over the continued targeting of Palestinian journalists, killing several in recent days, including two women, in Israeli airstrikes.
In a statement, the experts, including Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, and Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, urged “the international community, as well as key UN bodies, to act without delay before Israel silences the last voices in Gaza.”
They said that “at least 248 journalists have been killed in Gaza so far, a number greater than any other conflict in modern times.”
The experts stated that “among the journalists killed by Israel are Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance visual journalist for the Associated Press; Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Salama; freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha; Reuters photojournalist Hossam al-Masri; Ahmed Abu Aziz, who worked for several media outlets, including Middle East Eye; and Islam Abed, who was killed in an airstrike on a residential apartment in Gaza City.”
They added, “Israel continues to deny access to all international media outlets and kills with impunity local Palestinian journalists, the only professional lens in the world covering the suffering of genocide and famine unfolding in Gaza,” according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
They continued, “Even as journalists starve, lose family members, sleep in tents, and are targeted by the Israeli military like the rest of Gaza’s population, they have bravely continued to bear witness to the atrocities committed by the Israeli military.”
The experts stressed that “these killings come as Israel escalates its military control over Gaza City, and just two weeks after six journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiq, were targeted and killed in an airstrike near al-Shifa Hospital.”
They called for “independent investigations into the killings and attacks on journalists in Gaza and throughout the Palestinian territories, full reparations and justice for their families, and an end to Israel’s unprecedented impunity.”
They also called on “Israel to grant international media full and free access, as their presence would provide a measure of safety for local Palestinian journalists and ensure the continued flow of reports to the world.”
With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued, since October 7, 2023, to commit crimes of genocide, a siege, and starvation in the Gaza Strip. This has resulted in the martyrdom of 64,231 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 161,583 others, to date, in a preliminary toll. Thousands of victims remain under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.