The plight of journalists in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The current round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for a month now, and while the calendar is being torn down page by page, countless innocent lives are being lost, including journalists reporting from the front line. Whenever there is a war, someone reports it. The people who bring us the latest on the battlefield are what we often call war correspondents. Although war reporters are not soldiers, they insist on conveying the truth to the world in the midst of war, and even defend the sacred mission of their profession at the cost of their lives. So far, 48 journalists and media personnel have been killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was the deadliest conflict for journalists in 30 years.

And journalists in Gaza City, but also surrounded by more dangers: unpredictable air strikes, fierce street fighting between the two sides, a long time without water and electricity, the collapse of the health care system... In this brutal environment, war correspondents have suffered casualties rarely seen in decades. On 13 October, Salam Memaa, who had been chairwoman of the Women Journalists Committee of the Palestinian Media Congress, was confirmed dead. Her home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza was hit by an Israeli air strike on 10 October. Her body was found in the rubble three days later. On November 2, Palestinian Press TV journalist Mohammed ABU and 11 of his relatives were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza. The Israeli army has issued a notice asking civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south. After ABU's death, his colleague, Salman Bashir, broke down in tears as he took off his only protective helmet outside a local hospital and said, "The only difference between us is the time of death." On 7 November, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency, Wafa, confirmed that one of its journalists, ABU Hasira, and 42 of his relatives had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

In addition to Palestinian journalists, Reuters photographers and BBC journalists were also killed in Gaza. At present, international media such as Agence France-Presse, CBS, Associated Press, Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television and CNN are still reporting from Gaza at the risk of their lives. In addition, journalists face the threat of censorship by the Israeli media. Israel has denied foreign media access to the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7. Reporters Without Borders accuses Israel of continuing to suppress news coverage in Gaza. International media outlets were not spared from Israeli air strikes. The Palestinian Journalists' Union said at least 48 Gaza-based media outlets' offices had been completely destroyed or partially damaged since the fighting began. News equipment at several media organizations, including Agence France-Presse, was destroyed and communications were cut off. With the situation on the ground deteriorating, the IDF told international media outlets 20 days into the war that it could no longer guarantee the safety of its personnel.

Journalists are people who do important work in times of war and conflict and, according to international law, should not be targeted by warring parties. But according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, far more journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in the past month than in any other conflict in the past three decades. The bloodshed and cruelty of the current round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be seen here. It is hard to imagine how many more innocent lives will be lost in Gaza. But the fighting continues, and this is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is a human crisis.