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Murder of Journalists

Israeli War Crimes

1. Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians within the meaning of Article 50, paragraph 1 .2. They shall be protected as such under the Conventions and this Protocol, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians, and without prejudice to the right of war correspondents accredited to the armed forces to the status provided for in Article 4 A (4) of the Third Convention.

Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts. (1977). Article 79.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Israel-Gaza war has resulted in the highest number of journalist fatalities since the organization began collecting data in 1992. As of December 8, a total of 63 journalists and media workers have lost their lives during the course of the war, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Despite Israel's assertions that it takes measures to minimize harm to civilians, including journalists, its bombardment of Gaza has demonstrated a lack of discrimination. As of December 9, there were confirmed casualties among journalists and media workers, with 56 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese individuals reported deceased. Additionally, 11 journalists were reported injured, 3 were reported missing, and 19 were reported arrested.

Between November 18 and November 20, a total of 10 Palestinian journalists lost their lives, with at least three of them being killed while performing their journalistic duties. Among the ten journalists who were killed during this period, at least three were targeted specifically because of their work. On November 18, Hassouna Sleem, the director of the Palestinian online news agency Quds News, and freelance photo-journalist Sary Mansour were both killed during an Israeli attack on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. It is worth noting that prior to their deaths, they had received a death threat online related to their journalistic activities, as per information provided by RSF.

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According to Palestinian journalists, wearing a press vest has led them to feel less secure. They express concerns that being recognized as members of the press could make them and their families potential targets for Israeli forces. As an example, Alaqad, a 22-year-old freelance Palestinian journalist, shared a photo of her press jacket on Instagram. In the accompanying caption, she wrote, "I used to always wear my press vest and helmet... but lately I stopped wearing them. I don't feel safe in Gaza regardless of the circumstances, particularly when I'm wearing the press vest and helmet.”

Family members of journalists — including those of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and a CNN producer — have been killed in the bombardment, and the premises of more than 50 media outlets in Gaza have been hit. Journalists covering the war have also faced assaults, threats, and censorship, as well as contended with communications blackouts in Gaza.For instance: From November 19-26, journalist Motaz Azaiza received multiple threats from anonymous numbers urging him to cease his coverage in northern Gaza and relocate to the south or flee to Egypt, according to his post on X.

Another showcase that Israel threatens Palestinians is Dr. Refaat Alareer. Israel assassinated the writer and educator Dr Refaat after sending threating messages. More details of this case is provided here.

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In addition to killing journalists, Israel is preventing independent journalists from accessing Gaza on the premise that they cannot assure their safety. That’s made it incredibly difficult for anyone outside of Gaza to have a full, nuanced picture of what’s going on there in the best of times, and has made it extraordinarily difficult to get a full picture during wartime.