Palestine: hospital killings by Israeli forces show need for global action
The airstrikes on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in which at least 20 people were killed, including five journalists and media workers, underlines the need for global action to end the Israeli government’s war on journalism and truth, the NUJ has said.
The five journalists killed in the double strike on 25 August have been named as Ahmad Abu Aziz (freelance journalist for Middle East Eye and others), Hossam Al-Masri (Reuters photographer), Maryam Abu Deqa (freelance journalist for Associated Press and others), Moaz Abu Taha (journalist for NBC News), and Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera photojournalist).
In a separate incident on the same day, another journalist, Hassan Douhan, was fatally shot by Israeli forces in a different part of Khan Yunis.
From 26-27 August NUJ members will join sister unions around the world in 48 hours of solidarity action in support of journalists working in Gaza. There will be a virtual solidarity vigil for NUJ members to attend on Wednesday and the union will encourage donations to the IFJ Safety Fund, which provides urgent practical and medical support to journalists in danger.
The latest killings come after Israeli forces admitted to targeting Al-Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif in an airstrike that also killed five other journalists and media workers on 10 August. On 16 August the body of journalist Marwa Ashraf Mushallam, killed in an earlier Israeli airstrike, was found in Gaza City. On 23 August, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) reported the killing of Mohammed Mustafa Al-Madhoun, while reporting as a cameraman for Palestine TV. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 219 Palestinian journalists and media workers have now been killed over the last 22 months.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has confirmed that it carried out the airstrikes but claimed it “does not target journalists as such” with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel prime minister, calling the hospital bombings a “tragic mishap.”
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
“The killing of civilians, including five journalists, on Monday must become a catalyst for a renewed global campaign to end the senseless bloodshed in Gaza through an immediate ceasefire and the opening up of the region to international journalists and media organisations.
“The Geneva Convention requires countries to respect all civilians and civilian institutions, including hospitals. Media installations are also protected under international law. The killings underline once more the need for an independent investigation into the Israeli government’s actions, including its targeting of journalists.
“Those of us who have witnessed the previous targeting of journalists are extremely reluctant to accept the description of the Nasser hospital attack as a ‘mishap’. An immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and an end to the cycle of violence is the only rational response to the devastating death and destruction at Nasser Hospital.”
Séamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, said:
"The Israeli government has, through its repeated actions, shown contempt for press freedom and has breached the UN Conventions that recognise the rights of civilians - which include journalists.
“Its record contradicts the claim of the IDF Chief of Staff that Israel does not target journalists. We need global action to end this war on truth and that includes an investigation into the targeting of journalists. The attempt to tarnish the reputation of journalists in these killings has been nauseating while little attention has been afforded to other civilians killed, often unnamed and forgotten.
“Journalists in Gaza are working in atrocious conditions and constant danger. Many are freelances or contractors working in restricted areas with limited rights or social protections. Israel must stop killing local journalists and end the ban on foreign journalists entering the region.”