SSince Hamas launched the latest Gaza war by attacking Israel, it is estimated that more than 11,000 people have been killed and even more wounded. Details of the war are often unclear: it is not known how many of the victims in the Gaza Strip were civilians and how many belonged to the militant Islamist organizations there, nor are the circumstances of air strikes on civilian facilities known.
The warring parties are making allegations and claims that must first be independently verified. However, there is currently no free access for journalists to the war zone in the Gaza Strip. In fact, journalists also become victims of violence and threats – in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and even in Israel.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday, at least 36 journalists and employees of media organizations have been killed so far in the various theaters of the war – Gaza Strip, Israel, West Bank, southern Lebanon. Among them were 31 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese. Another eight journalists were wounded, three are missing and eight were arrested, according to the NGO’s report.
Other reports even mention 46 journalists killed. The CPJ points out that never since it began keeping records in 1992 have so many journalists been killed in so many weeks of war.
Right-wing Israelis persecute Israeli journalists
In some cases the Israeli army has been accused of deliberately attacking journalists. This was the case of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed in a rocket strike in southern Lebanon. Six other journalists were wounded in the incident on October 13; They subsequently claimed that they had been shot at from Israel.
The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders announced about a week ago that the “initial results of the investigation show that the reporters were not collateral victims of the shelling.” They were shot at directly, even though the group identified themselves as journalists. According to a reconstruction, the shelling came from an Israeli direction. Two of the journalists also stated that an Israeli army helicopter had flown over the area shortly before the attack. The Israeli army says it is still investigating the incident.
Journalists in the Gaza Strip are currently particularly at risk given the massive air strikes and fighting between armed Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. The majority of deaths occurred in the area, and buildings were also damaged. The news agencies AFP and Reuters reported on a letter from the Israeli army the week before last. The military could not guarantee the safety of its employees in the Gaza Strip, it said. This is especially true given the fact that Hamas is deliberately positioning itself “close to journalists and civilians.”
Media organizations were “urgently” requested to “take all necessary measures for the safety of their employees.” On Monday, an army spokesman reiterated that wherever Hamas activities were observed in the Gaza Strip, they would attack immediately. The Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists criticized the Israeli statement, pointing out that journalists in war zones must be protected in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Many arrests occur without precise allegations
But it is not only in the immediate war zones that journalists are increasingly hindered in their work. In the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak, right-wing Israelis persecuted an Israeli journalist after he, among other things, prayed for victims of the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian BBC employees say they were ill-treated by police in Tel Aviv. There were other cases of threats from police officers.
The number of violent clashes has recently increased in the West Bank. In the tense climate, media employees are also increasingly being harassed. The army has arrested several Palestinian journalists, some without specific charges, according to CPJ. Some arrests may be related to critical or violent statements made online.
However, foreign journalists also report threats and obstacles to their work. On Saturday, an ARD team was held south of Hebron by armed Israelis for more than an hour. At first it was apparently not entirely clear whether these were settlers or soldiers on duty; They were reportedly wearing uniforms but traveling in a private vehicle. There have been increasing attacks by radical settlers in the West Bank since October 7th. According to statements from observers, soldiers often cover their activities; the soldiers deployed as reservists often come from settler circles themselves.
The ARD radio correspondent Jan-Christoph Kitzler described the situation to the FAZ as threatening. The gunmen behaved “aggressively”. They asked whether the journalists were Jews, insulted an employee as a “traitor,” pointed weapons into the ARD team’s vehicle several times and filmed the journalists extensively. The responsible BR spoke of an “attempt to massively hinder reporting from the Palestinian West Bank” and an “attack on press freedom”.
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