An Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City killed Mohammad Al-Sayyed Abu Skheil and Tareq Abu Skheil, reporters for the local Al-Quds Voice Radio.
Two more journalists were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll to 140 since October 7, Gaza’s government media office said on Wednesday.
Mohammad Al-Sayyed Abu Skheil and Tareq Abu Skheil, reporters for the local Al-Quds Voice Radio, were killed by an Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the media office said in a statement.
The Israeli army withdrew from the hospital early Monday after a 14-day raid, leaving behind dozens of people dead and a massive trail of destruction, according to an earlier statement by the media office.
High Risks
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement on Wednesday that “journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages.”
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said.
‘Silencing Palestinian Voices’ – Three More Journalists Killed by Israel in Gaza
“Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats,” Mansour added.
“Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit,” he continued.
Meaningful Action Required
On March 26, the International Federation of Journalists and 38 more media freedom organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Media Freedom Coalition member states to take “meaningful action” for the safety of journalists in Gaza.
According to the statement, the situation in Gaza “requires action from your member states to consistently and publicly call for the treatment of Palestinian journalists, who continue to report from Gaza in spite of the risks.”
The statement also called for “the immediate and unfettered access of international journalists to Gaza”.
The organizations criticized the “collective official silence of the (Media Freedom Coalition) member states” regarding the killings of journalists in Gaza, warning that it significantly undermines their capacity to advocate for media freedom on a global scale.
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,975 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,577 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(The Palestine Chronicle)
