GENEVA: A UN expert accused Israel Monday of intentionally targeting journalists in a bid to cover up “genocide,” warning that the war raging there was the deadliest ever for media workers.
“The way in which journalists are being killed, silenced ... is the cover-up of genocide,” Irene Khan, the special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, told reporters in Geneva.
She said the latest United Nations figure showed that at least 252 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war was triggered by militant group Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
That makes it “the deadliest conflict ever for journalists,” Khan said, warning that the number “is of course likely to go up, because every week we hear news of more killings.”
Already, “more journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both World Wars, Vietnam War, wars in Yugoslavia and the war in Afghanistan combined,” she said.
By comparison, she said 14 journalists had been killed in Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion in early 2022, while the number of journalists killed over two decades of conflict in Afghanistan was in “the dozens.”
Khan, who is an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, maintained that many of the journalists killed in Gaza had been “targeted.”
They are being “deliberately picked out and killed because of the work that they are doing to expose the atrocities, the crimes, the genocide on the ground,” she said.
The expert slammed Israeli “smear campaigns,” accusing many of the journalists killed in its strikes of being “terrorist supporters or terrorists themselves” in a bid to “delegitimize and discredit” them and their work.
“So it is not just killing journalists, but (an) attempt is being very clearly made here to kill the story,” she charged.
Khan also voiced outrage that Israel has continued to block all access to Gaza for international journalists.
“What is happening in Gaza is extremely unusual,” she said. “I cannot recall another situation where a member state of the United Nations has denied access to independent international media for a conflict.”
She said a “terrible precedent” is being set for media freedom and demanded international action.
“States must stop Israel before all journalists in Gaza are silenced.”
UN expert says Gaza deadliest conflict ever for journalists
https://arab.news/rzthd
UN expert says Gaza deadliest conflict ever for journalists
- Special rapporteur Irene Khan says Israel's killing of journalists is the 'cover-up of genocide'
- At least 252 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023
DCO and Arab News partner to combat digital misinformation, explore AI’s impact on media
KUWAIT CITY: The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and the international Saudi newspaper Arab News have signed a Letter of Engagement aimed at strengthening knowledge and expertise exchange on the impact of artificial intelligence in the media sector, as well as leveraging expert insights to develop best practices to combat online misinformation amid accelerating technological advancements.
DCO said this step aligned with its efforts to strengthen collaboration with international media institutions to support responsible dialogue around digital transformation and contribute to building a more reliable, inclusive, and sustainable digital media environment.
Commenting on the agreement, Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, said: “At a moment when AI is reshaping how truth is produced, distributed, and trusted, partnership with credible media institutions is essential.”
She added that “working with Arab News allows us to bridge technology and journalism in a way that protects integrity, strengthens public trust, and elevates responsible innovation. This collaboration is about equipping media ecosystems with the tools, insight, and ethical grounding needed to navigate AI’s impact, while ensuring digital transformation serves people and their prosperity.”
Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, emphasized that the partnership enhances media institutions’ ability to keep pace with technological shifts, noting that engagement with representatives of DCO Member States enables deeper understanding of emerging technologies and regulatory developments in the digital space.
He added: “DCO’s commitment to initiatives addressing online content integrity reflects a clear dedication to supporting a responsible digital environment that serves societies and strengthens trust in the digital ecosystem.”
The Letter of agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Fifth DCO General Assembly held in Kuwait City under the theme “Inclusive Prosperity in the Age of AI”, alongside the second edition of the International Digital Cooperation Forum, held from 4–5 February, which brought together ministers, policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society representatives from more than 60 countries to strengthen international cooperation toward a human-centric, inclusive, and sustainable digital economy.
