Brussels - Saba:
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned on Monday the direct and deliberate Israeli targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza on Sunday evening.
It described the attack as "bloody and inconsistent with the sanctity of the press and international legal obligations to protect journalists."
"Following a smear campaign against journalists in Gaza, Israel killed five Al Jazeera employees in a tent housing journalists," IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said in a statement seen by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba).
He added, "The deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime, and Israeli leaders must be held accountable for their heinous actions."
Bellanger said, "We condemn in the strongest terms this deliberate killing of our colleagues, and we stand in solidarity with all Al Jazeera staff and colleagues working in Gaza under these unacceptable conditions."
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) recalls the urgent need for a binding international convention on the safety and independence of journalists and other media professionals, and urges governments to adopt it.
He added, "UN member states must support a binding UN convention that protects journalists and ensures accountability for crimes against them."
The IFJ stated, "On August 10, 2025, five Al Jazeera crew members were killed by Israeli forces: journalist Anas Al-Sharif, reporter Mohammed Qraiqeh, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Nofal, and Moamen Aliwa, as a result of a shelling that targeted a journalists' tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The following day, cameraman Mohammed Al-Khalidi died of his wounds.
He added, "The IFJ joins the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in affirming its full solidarity with them in confronting the violations targeting Palestinian journalists and protecting their professional and human rights."
Bellanger called for The International Federation calls on the international community, particularly UN member states, to take immediate and decisive action to adopt a binding international agreement to end violations of the safety of journalists and protect them from deliberate targeting in conflict zones.
The statement said: "Journalist Anas al-Sharif continued his intensive coverage of the violent and concentrated Israeli bombardment of the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City until his voice was silenced by an Israeli airstrike that directly targeted him."
It noted that the Israeli army acknowledged in an official statement its responsibility for targeting and killing him.
It also noted that on July 24, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson accused Anas al-Sharif of belonging to the military wing of Hamas. Just three weeks after this accusation, Anas al-Sharif and the entire Al Jazeera media crew were killed in Gaza, in a bloody attack that disregarded the sanctity of journalism and international legal obligations to protect journalists.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) previously condemned the recent smear campaign launched by Israel against journalists in Gaza, which included numerous accusations, warning that these unsubstantiated allegations put the lives of journalists at grave risk and pose a direct threat to press freedom.
It stated that since October 2023, the IFJ has been collecting evidence of Israeli forces targeting Palestinian journalists with a view to filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court.
The IFJ and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate were among the first organizations to submit complaints to the court in May and September 2022, demanding accountability and justice for crimes committed against Palestinian journalists.

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