Israel’s military operation in Gaza, in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, has become the deadliest, most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history, they said.
“We are alarmed at the extraordinarily high numbers of journalists and media workers who have been killed, attacked, injured and detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, in recent months blatantly disregarding international law,” they said in a written statement.
“We condemn all killings, threats and attacks on journalists and call on all parties to the conflict to protect them,” they said.
According to UN reports, since Oct. 7, over 122 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, and many have been injured. In addition, three journalists in Lebanon were killed as a result of Israeli shelling near the border of Lebanon. Four Israeli journalists were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Saying that they pay special tribute to the courage and resilience of journalists and media workers in Gaza who continue to put their own lives on the line every day in the course of duty, the rapporteurs said: ‘While also enduring enormous hardship and tragic loss of colleagues, friends and families in one of the bloodiest, most ruthless conflicts of our times,”
The rapporteurs also highlighted how journalists are entitled to protection as civilians under international humanitarian law, adding that targeted attacks and killings of journalists are war crimes.
They said the attacks on the media in Gaza and restrictions on other journalists from accessing Gaza, combined with severe disruptions of the Internet, are major impediments to the right of information of the people of Gaza as well as the outside world.
“We urge Israeli authorities to allow journalists to enter Gaza and protect the safety of all journalists in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the UN rapporteurs said.