The safety of Palestinian reporters documenting Gaza events has been a growing concern since Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began immediately after Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7. Since then, Israeli airstrikes have targeted civilians and journalists, wiping out whole families, and causing international condemnation.
On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed four members of Al Jazeera Correspondent Wael Dahdouh’s immediate family, according to a press release issued by the Moroccan Press Union (SNPM). Israel struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of the Gaza Strip, killing Dahdouh’s wife, teenage son, daughter, and grandson.
On Thursday, journalist Duaa Sharaf and her child were also killed in an Israeli attack.
The Moroccan Press Union strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes and their impact on civilians, particularly journalists who are protected under the Geneva Conventions and its protocols.
Citing Article 79 of the First Additional Protocol affirming that journalists enjoy all the rights and forms of protection granted to civilians in international armed conflicts, the Moroccan Press Union made a passionate appeal to the international community, urging the world to take concrete and practical action to halt the devastating war and to utilize all available means of pressure to prevent the continued targeting of civilians and the protection of journalists as they carry out their vital professional duties in the field.
It also sent its heartfelt condolences to fellow journalists, pledging support for the leaders and members of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated that as the conflict in Gaza rages on, the international community remains vigilant, and is monitoring the devastating toll on journalists, At least 24 journalists have been killed in Gaza in the last two weeks alone.
CPJ stated that this is the most deadly two-week period for journalists since CPJ began tracking journalist killings in 1992. Twenty out of the 24 journalists killed were Palestinian, three were Israeli, and one was Lebanese.
According to the CPJ, no fewer than eight other reporters have been injured, while three remain missing or are believed captured.
Previously, the worst period for journalists covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was during the Second Intifada in year 2000, which resulted in over 4,300 casualties and the deaths of 13 journalists, a figure now surpassed in the current war on Gaza.
Press groups worldwide have strongly condemned the violence against journalists. The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) issued a statement condemning the recent killings of journalists in Palestinian territories, Israel, and Lebanon. Targeting journalists is a “stark violation of press freedom and international human rights law,” it stated.
CPJ’s investigations have revealed that a number of journalists have been deliberately shot and killed while reporting on the conflict.
The Israeli government has faced criticism from humanitarian groups for the deaths of journalists, including Shireen Abu Akleh, who was fatally shot in the head by an Israeli IDF sniper last year.
CPJ research shows numerous incidents of assaults, arrests, threats, cyberattacks, and censorship targeting journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories.