The war on Gaza by Israel would have been obscured from the world’s view if it wasn’t for the fearless Palestinian journalists working tirelessly to document it. These professionals, consisting of reporters, photographers, and filming crews, offer us inside views of obliterated streets, distressing scenes from hospitals, and the devastating consequences of bombings.
Despite their efforts, Israel blocks international journalists from entering the area, only permitting occasional visits monitored by their military forces. This is the same government that criticises the worldwide media for accepting the accounts of these stranded Gazan journalists as well as the first-hand accounts of common citizens in the strip.
The situation was highlighted in a letter mentioning the killing of more than 100 journalists since the war’s outset. Those who are left continue functioning under severely restricted conditions. The letter organised by the esteemed global media NGO, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), expresses concerns about how information from Gaza is increasingly difficult to extract. The authenticity of the limited news that gets reported is often challenged.
Additionally, thorough investigations by numerous international media organisations have revealed alarming signs of what seems to be a deliberate assault on journalists by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The question remains if journalists have been classified as “legitimate targets” in Israel’s framework. Notably, amongst those documented by CPJ as casualties in Gaza, 23 were associated with leading news firms closely affiliated with Hamas, al-Aqsa.
Volker Turk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights alerts, “The death of a journalist is equated to the loss of our access to the world outside. It silences the voices that speak for the voiceless.” He further urges Israel, acclaimed as a bastion of democracy, to reveal the true picture in Gaza.