Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) emphasised that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attempt to obscure the truth of its crimes and stop it from being delivered to the world by systematically targeting journalists and their families in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, thus resulting in the killing of the largest number of journalists in modern history.
It mainly targets journalists with the aim of being able to complete the extermination of the Palestinians without its horrific practices being documented.
Since October 7, 2023, 122 journalists have been killed by the IOF, which exceeds the number of journalists it killed in any of its wars on Gaza or any other place, and it also exceeds the number of journalists killed in World War II (1939-1945) who numbered 69, the 63 journalists killed during 20 years in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), or the 17 journalists who were killed during the Korean War (1950-1953).
Israel’s targeting of journalists in the recent period was not limited to the Gaza Strip only, but also included all Palestinian journalists in the West Bank or even in southern Lebanon. The targeting also extended to the families of journalists and their relatives in various ways, including threats, arrests, and direct bombing of their homes.
For example, on October 13, 2023, the IOF targeted the home of Anadolu Agency photojournalist Ali Jadallah in Gaza, killing 8 members of his family, including his father and brothers. On October 23, the IOF launched an air strike on the house of Wael Al-Dahdouh, director of Al-Jazeera’s office in the Gaza Strip. His wife, son, daughter, and 18-month-old grandson were killed. Journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh also lost his eldest son, Hamza, also a journalist, who was killed with his colleague Mustafa Thuraya while working. They were directly targeted with an Israeli bombing on January 7, 2024.
On November 1, 2023, Palestinian TV correspondent Mohamed Abu Hatab and 11 members of his family were killed in a bombing that targeted a house in the city of Khan Yunis. On November 5, 2023, Anadolu News Agency photographer Mohamed Al-Alul lost his 4 sons and 3 of his brothers in an Israeli bombing. On November 13, 2023, Photojournalist Yasser Qdih lost 8 members of his family as a result of four projectiles being thrown at the back of his house.
On December 6, 2023, 22 members of the family of the Palestinian journalist, Al-Jazeera correspondent, Momen Al-Sharafi, were killed as a result of Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip, including his father and mother.
On the 29th of January, journalist Mohammed Abdel Fattah Atallah, along with his wife and multiple family members, were killed in an Israeli attack on the Al-Shati camp. It’s important to note that this was not the first attack on the Atallah family’s residence. A previous bombing had taken the lives of Atallah’s sister, her husband, and their children.
In a clear revenge and a deliberate targeting for journalists, an Israeli occupation aircraft bombed the family home of Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip on December 11, 2023, killing his 65-year-old father. This comes after Al-Sharif received threats from the occupation to stop his journalistic work.
It is worth noting that the IOF is deliberately targeting journalists despite their commitment to the protocol for journalists in times of war and armed conflict by wearing helmets, clothing, and clear badges that identify them. Most of them were targeted while carrying out their work, and others while being at home after receiving clear threats from the IOF. Others were directly targeted while being inside the press tents placed near hospitals to report the course of events.
Furthermore, the IOF directly targeted media institutions in the Gaza Strip, such as Al-Ayyam newspaper, Gaza Radio, Shehab News Agency, the Palestinian Maan Agency, the French Agency office, Al-Arabi TV, and others.
AOHR UK called for the need to take immediate action at all levels to protect journalists and their families throughout the occupied territories, to ensure that the crimes committed by the IOF and settlers are reported on the ground, and to hold accountable the perpetrators of crimes against journalists, especially the recent crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.
