Gaza - (Saba):
On World Press Freedom Day, the Government Media Office in Gaza affirmed that "Gaza journalists are being slaughtered live on air by Israeli occupation weapons, and that their blood is writing the truth, while the world watches and celebrates in silence!"
In press statements on Saturday, the office said, "Today we stand together to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3rd. This day is dedicated annually by the world to renewing the pledge to the principles of freedom, justice, and the human right to knowledge and expression."
He added, "Gaza, with its heroic journalists at its heart, celebrates this day in a different language: the language of blood, hunger, tears, and ashes. While the world celebrates press freedom, the blood of Palestinian journalists is flowing in the streets of Gaza, their headquarters and cars are being bombed, their pens and cameras are being smashed, their homes and property are being targeted, and they are sometimes buried with their families under the rubble, simply because they decided to report the truth."
He stressed that "since the beginning of the Israeli aggression in October 2023, until today, 212 Palestinian journalists and media professionals have been martyred by the occupation forces, including correspondents, staff, photographers, and editors working for local and international media outlets. Another 409 were injured, some of whom lost limbs, and all of them lost their lives.
48 journalists, whose names are known, were arrested, many of whom were subjected to torture and degrading treatment, in clear violation of all international conventions." He continued: "The targeting of journalists and media professionals is not just a targeted attack, but a systematic crime of media genocide, during which the occupation authorities have committed crimes that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." Neither institutions nor individuals have been spared from this war.
He added: "On this day, we, in the Government Media Office, do not call for emotional solidarity or repetitive statements of condemnation, but rather for practical and tangible action."
He called on the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, Reporters Without Borders, and all UN bodies concerned with press freedom to conduct an immediate and independent investigation into crimes against journalists and media professionals.
He also called for urgent international protection for Palestinian journalists, an end to the media blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, and the referral of these cases to the International Criminal Court to prosecute the killers of journalists and all those involved in their bloodshed.
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