Thameen Al-Khitan, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the Israeli army’s deliberate targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip.
This statement came in response to a question about Israel’s deliberate and systematic targeting of journalists while carrying out their duties in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Khitan said: “We are concerned by information strongly suggesting that Palestinian journalists in Gaza may have been directly targeted by the Israeli army while carrying out their duties, which constitutes a war crime.”
He emphasized that journalists covering events in conflict zones are considered civilians and are protected under international humanitarian law.
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The spokesperson continued: “Journalists should never be targeted while carrying out their mission to inform the public and contribute to accountability.”
He emphasized that deliberate attacks against journalists constitute a violation of the right to life under international humanitarian law, and that Israel’s denial of entry to Gaza for foreign journalists except in limited and controlled circumstances constitutes a serious violation of the right to access information.
On Tuesday, the Government Media Office in Gaza announced that the death toll of journalists had risen to 211 since Israel began its war of extermination on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
The office stated that this came “following the crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces by targeting a journalists’ tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis Governorate, south of the Gaza Strip.
This resulted in the martyrdom of journalist Hilmi al-Faqawi (Monday), as well as the announcement of the death of a fellow journalist who succumbed to his wounds from the direct bombing of the tent.”
With absolute American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 166,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.
