An extensive American report has documented the deadly risks inherent in journalistic work in the Gaza Strip, resulting from being targeted by Israeli forces.
According to the New York Times report, journalists working in Gaza face the same crises as civilians: starvation, targeting, and the constant threat of death.
The Times stated that the targeting of five Palestinian journalists two days ago at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is just the latest episode in an extremely bloody conflict for Palestinian journalists, who have often been the world’s firsthand witnesses to Israel’s campaign against Gaza.
The newspaper quotes photographer Guevara Safadi, who works for Al-Kofiya TV, as saying, “I’ve reached a point where I’m afraid to cover the war. These fears and the deadly risks of covering the war in Gaza could cause a decline in the amount of information coming out of the Strip.”
Israel prevents international journalists from entering Gaza to cover the war and has killed Palestinian journalists.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 190 media workers have been killed since the start of the offensive in October 2023.
Alongside its brutal military campaign in Gaza, the Israeli government has waged a relentless battle to control the narrative surrounding the offensive.
The American newspaper quotes Tahseen al-Astal, the deputy head of the Gaza Journalists Syndicate, as saying that Israel’s actions are aimed at enabling it to promote its narrative without restrictions. He said, “Israel doesn’t want the world to see the magnitude of what’s happening here.”
Like virtually all Gazans, Palestinian journalists have repeatedly been forced to flee for their lives, struggled to feed their families amid widespread hunger, and often had to cover the killing of friends, colleagues, and loved ones.
Committee to Protect Journalists Executive Director Jody Ginsburg says of Gaza’s journalists, “They are subjected to the same horrific deprivations as the rest of the population: they are constantly displaced and work from extremely poor accommodations.”
Unlike journalists in other conflict zones, Palestinian journalists in Gaza cannot leave the front lines for rest or medical treatment.
Safadi says, “When we’re at work and the army orders us to evacuate, I have to quickly find a new place to stay. You’re working as a journalist, but at the same time, you have to support your displaced family.”
The newspaper noted that the Israeli army has deliberately attacked and killed journalists under the pretext that they belonged to the Qassam Brigades, while Al Jazeera, for example, denied these Israeli accusations.
The New York Times reported that Israel consistently accuses Al Jazeera of glorifying Hamas and propagating its narrative. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Israel has banned the channel from operating in its territory and closed its offices in the West Bank.
However, the head of the Committee to Protect Journalists emphasized that merely expressing support for a political or military faction does not make a person a legitimate target, saying, “If their crime is supporting Hamas, that doesn’t make you a combatant, and it doesn’t justify killing you.”
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