<p>Israel’s attack, which left six journalists dead in Gaza, was a targeted killing, executed as part of its continuing efforts to suppress news reporting from the strip. Four Al Jazeera journalists, including its well-known reporter Anas al-Sharif, were killed in the strike. Anas al-Sharif has brought out through his reportage the horrors of Israel’s genocidal actions and the starvation in Gaza. He had been told by Israel to stop reporting and leave Gaza. </p><p>His father was killed in an airstrike in 2023, after that warning. In a post published posthumously, Anas wrote: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me.” Israel now claims, without proof, that he was a terrorist. The killing of the reporters is another warning, and there is unlikely to be any more reporting from ground zero on Gaza. This is what Israel has been working towards.</p>.<p>According to Reporters without Borders, more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed in about two years of the war in Gaza. This is more than the number of journalists killed in other parts of the world in the last three years. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says 26 of the reporters were targeted for killing. While the deaths show the courage and commitment of the journalists, they also show Israel’s determination to prevent Gaza’s truth from reaching the world. International journalists are not allowed to enter Gaza except on Israel-organised military trips during which they cannot speak to Palestinians. The killing of the Al Jazeera journalists has been widely condemned. Deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime. The International Criminal Court has been requested to investigate the killings. Israel has not cared for the international criticism of its actions in Gaza or its treatment of journalists.</p>.<p>The killings have taken place when Israel is set to launch a major operation to seize control of Gaza City, which will take the war to another level. The new campaign will lead to many more deaths and the displacement of thousands of people. Over 60,000 people, including women and children, have been killed since the war started. There is opposition to the new war plan even from within Israel. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going ahead with the offensive and has obtained the approval of the Security Cabinet for it. The aim is said to be to capture Gaza, expel or eliminate the Palestinian population, and have the Jews settle there. The illegal and inhuman assault has happened in front of an international community that, now, will also be deprived of reporting from where it unfolds.</p>
<p>Israel’s attack, which left six journalists dead in Gaza, was a targeted killing, executed as part of its continuing efforts to suppress news reporting from the strip. Four Al Jazeera journalists, including its well-known reporter Anas al-Sharif, were killed in the strike. Anas al-Sharif has brought out through his reportage the horrors of Israel’s genocidal actions and the starvation in Gaza. He had been told by Israel to stop reporting and leave Gaza. </p><p>His father was killed in an airstrike in 2023, after that warning. In a post published posthumously, Anas wrote: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me.” Israel now claims, without proof, that he was a terrorist. The killing of the reporters is another warning, and there is unlikely to be any more reporting from ground zero on Gaza. This is what Israel has been working towards.</p>.<p>According to Reporters without Borders, more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed in about two years of the war in Gaza. This is more than the number of journalists killed in other parts of the world in the last three years. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says 26 of the reporters were targeted for killing. While the deaths show the courage and commitment of the journalists, they also show Israel’s determination to prevent Gaza’s truth from reaching the world. International journalists are not allowed to enter Gaza except on Israel-organised military trips during which they cannot speak to Palestinians. The killing of the Al Jazeera journalists has been widely condemned. Deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime. The International Criminal Court has been requested to investigate the killings. Israel has not cared for the international criticism of its actions in Gaza or its treatment of journalists.</p>.<p>The killings have taken place when Israel is set to launch a major operation to seize control of Gaza City, which will take the war to another level. The new campaign will lead to many more deaths and the displacement of thousands of people. Over 60,000 people, including women and children, have been killed since the war started. There is opposition to the new war plan even from within Israel. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going ahead with the offensive and has obtained the approval of the Security Cabinet for it. The aim is said to be to capture Gaza, expel or eliminate the Palestinian population, and have the Jews settle there. The illegal and inhuman assault has happened in front of an international community that, now, will also be deprived of reporting from where it unfolds.</p>
