AMMAN: With the war on Gaza taking a heavy toll on journalists, international press bodies have condemned the killing of media workers and called for an independent investigation into their deaths.
Palestinian and Arab press organizations have gone further, saying they would sue Israel for its “war crimes” against the Palestinian people and journalists.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that more than 30 journalists have been killed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, when Israel began retaliatory air, sea and land strikes following the attack by Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades.
The syndicate said that the slain journalists included Mohammed Ali, Khalil Abu Athrah, Samih Al-Nadi, Issam Bahar, Mohammed Baloushah, Abdulhadi Habib, Hussam Mubarak, Ahmad Shihab, Mohammed Fayez, Yousef Abu Mattar, Said Taweel, Mohammed Suboh, Hisham Al-Nawajhah, Asad Shamlakh, Mohammad Al-Salhi, Ibrahim Lafi and Mohammad Jarghoun.
The PJS also said it had lost contact with journalist Nidal Al-Wahidi from Al-Najah news channel and photojournalist Haitham Abdelwahid from Ain Media.
The International Federation of Journalists denounced Israel’s “frequent assaults” on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza, calling for an “immediate investigation.”
The Brussels-based IFJ said that at least 38 journalists and media workers had been killed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, while several have been injured and others left missing.
The federation said it is working closely with the PJS to verify information in real time.
“On Oct. 13, the IFJ and its affiliates worldwide called on UNESCO to do its utmost to protect journalists and demand that the warring parties de-escalate the violence.”
Reporters Without Borders also condemned the killing of journalists, which it labeled as “crimes.”
It called on all parties to ensure that journalists are protected by UN Security Council Resolution 2222.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was investigating all reports surrounding journalist casualties in the war on Gaza, which “has led to the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
“As of Nov. 10, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 40 journalists and media workers were among the more than 12,000 killed since the war began on Oct. 7,” CPJ said in a statement.
Journalists in Gaza face exceptional risk as they try to cover the conflict amid Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City and devastating airstrikes, as well as disrupted communications and extensive power outages.
CPJ said that the 40 journalists and media workers included 35 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese national. A further eight journalists were reported injured, three were reported missing and 13 have been arrested.
The Federation of Arab Journalists also denounced the Israeli attacks on journalists, saying it would lodge an official complaint to the UN to take legal action against the occupation forces.
The Cairo-based body said it had set up an online platform to document Israeli attacks on journalists and unarmed civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, in order to report them to international rights bodies for legal action.
The pan-Arab federation added that it will organize an emergency meeting with the IFJ and other international press bodies to discuss journalist casualties and agree on a mechanism to sue the “criminals” through the relevant international agencies.
A Palestinian TV journalist working in Gaza said she had lacked adequate sleep, food and water for more than a month.
Requesting anonymity, the journalist added that she was considering quitting her job, “at least for now,” in order to focus on providing shelter and food for her family.
“The war and the Israeli airstrikes are so intense that I don’t feel safe anywhere and anymore. I have family to care for and ensure their safety,” the mother of three said.
“Two of my colleagues were martyred, and one of them was the cameraman who accompanied me while doing my reportage near a hospital (in Gaza) some two weeks ago.”
Global media organizations demand probe into journalists killed in Gaza
https://arab.news/g3mra
Global media organizations demand probe into journalists killed in Gaza
- Investigation finds 40 worker deaths, with groups vowing to sue Israel over ‘war crimes’
- The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that more than 30 journalists have been killed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank
First responders enter devastated Aleppo neighborhood after days of deadly fighting
- The US-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Daesh group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria’s national army
ALEPPO, Syria: First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.
The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.
The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.
The US-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Daesh group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria’s national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”
The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.
Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid Al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.
The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.
On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.
Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.
“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”
Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.
Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.
“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.
