Palestine: NUJ deplores killing of Al-Jazeera journalists
The Israeli government has admitted to killing five Al-Jazeera journalists and media workers in an airstrike on a tent outside the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza last night.
At least seven people were killed overall, including camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, their assistant Mohammed Noufal, and correspondents Mohammed Qreiqeh and Anas al-Sharif, a prominent frontline reporter who had been threatened multiple times by Israel over his coverage of the war and the starvation of the Palestinian people.
Once again the Israeli military claimed, without providing evidence, that al-Sharif was a ‘terrorist’ - though it did not comment on the four other media workers killed. Al-Jazeera rejected the claims, calling it a “targeted assassination […] in yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom” and a “desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.” Over the last 22 months, Al Jazeera's core team in Gaza has been wiped out with numerous journalists injured or killed by Israeli forces, who have also raided and shut down the organisation’s bureau in the occupied West Bank.
Last week the NUJ joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate in condemning the smear campaign against Palestinian journalists. According to the IFJ, at least 195 journalists and media workers – including 180 Palestinians – have been killed since 7 October 2023 making this the deadliest war for our industry in recent history.
A statement posted to al-Sharif’s X account following his death said: "I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification."
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
"This is a horrific attack. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the murdered journalists and their colleagues. Journalists have specific rights under international law and once again these rights have been violated while other civilians have been killed as collateral damage. Israel has denied foreign reporters access to Gaza while systematically discrediting, targeting and killing local journalists. These are the activities of a government that does not want the world to witness its actions.
“That the Israeli military openly admits to these atrocities brings into sharp focus the need for international action to end this impunity. We once again reiterate our call for the UK government, who claim to be committed to press freedom, to exert serious pressure to protect journalists, uphold international law and support an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the blatant targeting of journalists and media workers by Israeli forces. There must be immediate international action to end this obscene behaviour.”
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary, said:
"After a smear campaign against Gaza's journalists, Israel has killed five Al Jazeera staff in a tent housing journalists. The deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime and Israeli leaders must be held accountable for their heinous actions. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this deliberate killing of our colleagues and we stand in solidarity with all staff at Al Jazeera and our colleagues working in Gaza under such unacceptable circumstances.”