London: The last two months have been the deadliest for the journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Monday releasing the list of media professionals killed in the besieged Gaza Strip which is under the indiscriminate and round the clock airstrikes and shelling by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The occupation forces have escalated the massacre and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians continuing unabated since the last 56 years following the Operation Al Aqsa Flood launched by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023 through sea, air and land.
The Hamas said it launched its military operation that killed 1,200 responding to the targeting of Palestinians by the occupation army, and repeated provocations and attacks by the illegal settlers.
While retreating from the occupied territories, Palestinian Resistance Fighters also took some 240 hostages in order to press the release of over 8,000 Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails, most of them without trial.
Responding to the Hamas attack, the occupation forces are bombing the residential areas of Gaza, hospitals, mosques, churches killing close to 16,000 civilians – over 70 per cent of them children and women.
Among those killed in Gaza are 63 media professionals, including 56 Palestinian journalists, 4 Israeli journalists, and 3 Lebanese media workers, marking the deadliest month for journalists since the CPJ began documenting fatalities in 1992.
The deadliest day of the war for journalist deaths was its first day, October 7, with six journalists killed; the second-deadliest day occurred on November 18, with five killed, the CPJ said in its report released on Monday December 04, 2023.
In addition, 11 journalists were also reported injured, 3 missing, and 19 arrested, it said.
“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages and extensive power outages”, the CPJ said.
Israel’s record on the protection of media workers has faced criticism, with calls for accountability directed at their leaders for not doing enough to prevent the targeting of journalists.
Amid the escalating conflict, Israeli Occupation Forces have not only failed to ensure the safety of journalists working in Gaza but have also been accused of deliberately targeting some of them.
In one of the latest incidents, Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza on Monday Dec 1 shared a video showing Israeli tanks opening fire on journalists and photographers in Gaza.
In the video, he and a colleague are seen running from Israeli army projectiles fired from tanks and targeting civilians on the street, while wearing press vests.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Motaz Azaiza مُعْتَز عزايزة ⚡️ (@motaz_azaiza)
A post shared by Motaz Azaiza مُعْتَز عزايزة ⚡️ (@motaz_azaiza)
CPJ while releasing the date wise list of journalists killed in the Israeli bombings said it is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.
“Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit”, he added.
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