Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, affirms that the ongoing crimes of the occupation against journalists in the Gaza Strip constitute a desperate attempt to abolish the narrative, conceal the truth, and hide the crimes committed by the occupying army against Palestinian civilians. The Center stated that the occupation seeks to suppress the Palestinian narrative and avoid exposing the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army against civilians in the Gaza Strip. This indicates the deeply rooted aggressiveness in Zionist occupation thought to deny the other, deny the truth, distort it, and not show it to the world. The Center stated that the significant increase in the number of journalist martyrs in the Gaza Strip confirms this trend by the occupation. Since the beginning of this aggression on October 7, 2023, the number of journalist martyrs has reached 126, which is a dangerous indicator of the systematic and organized targeting of journalists. It is worth noting that this number exceeds the number of journalists and media personnel killed in World War II, described as one of the bloodiest wars in modern history, which claimed the lives of millions of innocent people between 1939 and 1945, with a total of 69 journalists at that time.
The Center condemns the organized targeting operations by the Israeli occupation army against journalists, media institutions, and their offices in the Gaza Strip. The latest of which was the targeting of Al Jazeera channel crew, correspondent (Ismail Abu Omar), and photographer (Ahmed Matar) north of the city of Rafah, resulting in serious injuries. This is a clear indication of the price paid by journalists as a result of their coverage of this aggression. The occupation aims to intimidate journalists and pressure them to refrain from covering its crimes, in a desperate attempt to silence the voice that exposes and unveils the policies and claims of the occupation before the international public opinion.
SHAMS Center denounces the measures committed by the Israeli occupation to prevent foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip, and its refusal to grant entry visas to many international journalists to access the occupied Palestinian territory since October 7, 2023. The Israeli policy is a clear violation of all international norms that guarantee the right to movement, access to information, and free media coverage in times of war and armed conflicts.
SHAMS Center commends the UN report issued by the group of UN Special Rapporteurs (Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Françoise Alamraz, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism). The report addressed the grave violations committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian journalists. The reports also condemned all acts of killing, threats, and assaults against journalists in the Gaza Strip.
SHAMS Center emphasizes that the deliberate and organized targeting by the Israeli occupation army of journalists in the Gaza Strip, constitutes a serious and flagrant violation of international law, especially the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1977 relating to international armed conflicts. Article 79 stipulates that all those working in the field of journalism and media during armed conflict are civilians, and they are subject to the same protections as civilians in armed conflict. Direct attacks on civilians and arbitrary use of force against them are prohibited. Additionally, Article 50 of the Protocol also considers them civilians, and they are entitled to the same protections as civilians in armed conflict. This targeting also violates the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council related to journalists, which call for their protection, especially Security Council Resolution 1738 of 2006, which condemns any attacks on journalists during armed conflicts and stresses the need to protect them. Security Council Resolution 2222 of 2015 calls on all parties to ensure full protection for journalists, media personnel, and individuals associated with them, as well as the protection of equipment, tools, offices, and media studios, as civilian assets that must be spared from attacks or any retaliatory actions during war. This also violates United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/163 of 2013, which condemns violence against journalists during armed conflicts and urges them to ensure their safety.
Center calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, UNESCO, governmental and non-governmental institutions to fulfill their duties and compel the Israeli government to stop targeting Palestinian journalists. It urges for organizing campaigns to support Palestinian journalists, raising awareness about their targeting before the international public opinion, and urging the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes of the occupation against journalists and bring Israeli war criminals to international justice.