Sana'a - Saba:
There is an international consensus that the Israeli entity's targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip, with killing or injury, aims only to conceal and obscure the truth about the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli enemy against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip for more than 22 months.
The Zionist entity's crime of assassinating six journalists late Sunday evening in their tent in front of al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City sparked a global wave of outrage over the Zionist entity's continued perpetration of war crimes against humanity, including the targeting of those who report the truth.
The six martyred journalists are: Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea; cameramen Ibrahim Daher and Moamen Aliwa; their assistant Mohammed Nofal; and Mohammed al-Khalidi, who died Monday morning from his wounds.
With the assassination of the six journalists, the number of media professionals killed by Israel has risen to 238 since the beginning of its genocide in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Media Office.
On Monday, the world witnessed a wave of condemnation and criticism from numerous international organizations, bodies, and countries regarding this Zionist crime committed by the Israeli army, which targeted the truth, its eyes, and its voice. These organizations considered it a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a blow to press freedom.
Violation of International Humanitarian Law
While the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the Israeli army's killing of six Palestinian journalists by bombing their tent in Gaza City, it considered it a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian law."
The UN Commission on Human Rights stated, via its X platform, that "Israel must respect and protect all civilians in the Gaza Strip, including journalists."
It called for immediate, safe, and unhindered access for all journalists from international media outlets to the Gaza Strip.
A Blow to Press Freedom
The European Commissioner for Equality, Haja Lahbib, considered Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza, including Anas Al-Sharif, a direct blow to press freedom.
Lahbib condemned the killing of six journalists, including four from Al Jazeera, on her Twitter account.
Lahbib said, "We are horrified by the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, including correspondent Anas Al-Sharif."
The European official stressed the need to permanently protect civilians and the press.
An Independent and Impartial Investigation
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the killing of two Palestinian journalists in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, north of the besieged Strip, and called for an "independent and impartial" investigation into the matter.
The condemnation came from UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, at a press conference at UN headquarters in Geneva, in which he said, "These recent killings highlight the grave risks that journalists continue to face while covering this ongoing conflict" for more than 22 months.
Journalists Deliberately Killed
Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed that the Israeli army deliberately kills journalists, emphasizing that "journalists should never be a target, but Israeli forces have deliberately killed dozens of them."
It noted that "while Israel continues to ban journalists from entering Gaza, Palestinian journalists play an indispensable role in documenting and covering Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians."
HRW called on Israel to stop committing "atrocities" in the Gaza Strip, "instead of killing the voices that cover them."
It added that "the blatant killing of Palestinian journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqea, and four other media workers highlights the unconscionable danger Palestinian journalists face in Gaza."
It noted that this also "highlights the Israeli army's complete disregard for the lives of civilians" in the Gaza Strip.
Targeting the Eyes and Voice of Gaza
Amnesty International on Monday considered Israel's deliberate killing of Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip to be a targeting of the "eyes and voice of Gaza."
The organization said in a statement that "Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues were the eyes and voice of Gaza. Despite being starved, exhausted, threatened with death, and in great pain, they continued their courageous reporting from the front lines."
It emphasized that "no conflict in modern history has claimed such a high number of journalistic lives as compared to the genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."
It called for "an independent and impartial investigation into the killing of Palestinian journalists, and for justice and reparations for their families."
Amnesty International emphasized that "states must act urgently now to stop the genocide being committed by Israel" in the Gaza Strip.
A Prelude to a Major Massacre
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor confirmed that this crime is part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at silencing witnesses to the truth, which the war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court, Benjamin Netanyahu, sought to deny in his press conference hours before the crime.
The Monitor noted that this crime came hours after Netanyahu's press conference, in which he incited the media and spoke of his intention to continue the crime of controlling Gaza, clearly indicating his decision to eliminate the voices revealing the truth to the world.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor considered the Zionist entity's claim of responsibility for the assassination of journalist Anas al-Sharif a reflection of the dangerous level this entity has reached and its disregard for international law. It is also a stark expression of the consequences of impunity resulting from the policy of support and silence practiced by the international community, which silences and condones such a crime.
An Attempt to Cover Up the Facts
The International Committee to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People urged the International Criminal Court to expedite investigations and prosecutions against the political and military officials of the enemy state who issued orders or participated in the targeting of journalists.
It noted that these journalists, particularly journalist Anas Al-Sharif, had previously been subjected to incitement campaigns and direct death threats by the Zionist enemy authorities due to their role in documenting and exposing the crimes of genocide, systematic starvation, and other grave violations committed by the enemy forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip. This reflects the premeditated criminal intent of this criminal enemy.
The Committee called on the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their obligations and exercise their jurisdiction to prosecute the perpetrators of this crime, as it constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.
It considered the rise in the number of journalists killed by the Israeli army during the ongoing genocide in Gaza to 237, confirming the enemy authorities' insistence on targeting witnesses and preventing independent media coverage, in an attempt to obscure the facts and cover up their crimes, including the imminent reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.
Hashd stressed the need to provide urgent international protection for journalists and media outlets in Gaza, enabling them to perform their professional duty of covering events and conveying the truth to the world.
Holding the leaders of the entity accountable
The International Federation of Journalists described the targeting of these journalists as "bloody and without regard for the sanctity of the press or international legal obligations to protect journalists."
In a statement, IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger 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 later, Anas al-Sharif and the entire Al Jazeera media crew were killed in Gaza in a bloody attack that showed no regard for the sanctity of the press or international legal obligations to protect journalists."
Bellanger emphasized that "the deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime, and Israeli leaders must be held accountable for their heinous actions."
He said, "UN member states must support a binding UN-wide convention that protects journalists and ensures accountability for perpetrators of crimes against them."
The IFJ called on the international community, particularly UN member states, to take immediate and decisive action to adopt a binding international convention that puts an end to violations of the safety of journalists and protects them from deliberate targeting in conflict zones.
He stated that since October 2023, the International Federation of Journalists has been collecting evidence of Israeli forces targeting Palestinian journalists with the aim of filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court.
In Britain, the British government expressed grave concern about the repeated Israeli targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a press statement: "We are deeply concerned about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza. Journalists must be able to report the news independently without fear."
The spokesperson stressed the need for Israel to ensure that journalists can carry out their work safely, affirming that correspondents covering conflicts are protected under international humanitarian law.
A Serious and Extremely Worrying Incident
The German Foreign Ministry confirmed that "the deliberate killing of six journalists in Gaza is a serious and extremely worrying incident."
While a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip, he stressed the need for a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the incident, calling for accountability and punishment for those responsible for targeting journalists to ensure the protection of media professionals, according to media statements.
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