It has been over 700 days since the start of Israel’s ongoing aggression and genocide on the Gaza strip.
The death toll keeps rising, and Gaza’s population is declining. Mass killings by Israeli airstrikes and Israel’s blockade of food supplies have resulted in widespread suffering and starvation among Palestinians. Just a few weeks ago, the United Nations (UN) declared famine in the Gaza Strip.
As of September 1, the recorded number of famine-induced deaths stands at 361, including 130 children, according to Al-Jazeera.
Throughout these past seven hundred days, Israel’s blatant violations of humanitarian law have been thoroughly documented by Palestinian journalists. In response, Israel has escalated its systematic targeting of the press in Gaza.
On August 10, Israel attacked a press tent located outside of al-Shifa hospital, murdering six Al-Jazeera correspondents, among them renowned and beloved-by-all journalist, Anas al-Sharif. The attack also killed correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, freelance cameraman Momen Aliwa, and freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi.
Anas al-Sharif is one of the many media professionals who have been targeted by the Israeli government during this genocide. He was a 28-year-old journalist who had reported extensively from the north of Gaza since the start of the genocide. He gained an extensive following in the past two years, one of his most famous televised sections being his jubilant announcement confirming the ceasefire this past January. In the televised segment, Al-Sharif stood tall, surrounded by his peers, speaking into the microphone, and removed his press vest in a symbolic gesture marking the end of the genocide, and his coverage of the scene.
Seven months later, Israel killed him.
Just two weeks after al-Sharif’s assassination, Israel murdered five journalists and several healthcare workers in a double-tap strike on Nasser Hospital.
As of September 1, Al-Jazeera reports the total number of martyred journalists has risen to at least 278 since October 7, 2023. These attacks are part of Israel’s widespread efforts to erase first-hand documentation of its crimes against Palestinians.
Ayham Al-Sahli, Palestinian journalist from Haifa, wrote in an opinion piece for Al-Akhbar newspaper, “One of the major challenges in Gaza is the lack of strong independent Palestinian media institutions capable of preserving and managing such an archive. Aside from the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, and a few others that have attempted to work in Gaza, no Palestinian body is maintaining a comprehensive record of the way. After two years, much of their capacities to continue operations have diminished, leaving the substantial archives in the hands of foreign media organizations.”
This comment sheds light on major issues regarding Palestinian press safety. The absence of archival preservation from Palestinian journalists on the genocide is directly linked to the ongoing killings of journalists. Thus, this leads to a strong deficit in authentic, native, on-the-ground storytelling, leaving the reporting up to “foreigners.”
The targeting of Palestinian journalists dates back to before the start of the Gaza genocide. In May 2022, Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu-Akleh was shot in the head and killed by Israeli soldiers while covering a raid in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank.
Abu-Akleh was a prominent name, having reported for Al-Jazeera for more than 25 years. Several Israeli Defense Force (IDF) statements claimed she got caught in a crossfire between soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters, but those were quickly disproven. Abu-Akleh was wearing a press vest and standing with other journalists when she was killed.
The press vest should have been enough to protect Shireen Abu-Akleh.
The press vest should have been enough to protect Anas al-Sharif.
The press vest should be enough to protect journalists from being targeted.
Since 1977, the Geneva Convention has implemented amendments to clauses asserting the protection of journalists. Moreover, the United Nations website sets journalism as being “fundamental for sustainable development, human rights protection, and democratic consolidation.” In 2012, the UN implemented the “Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity” addressing the prevention of violence against journalists and the protection of the press. Yet these suggestions are not legally binding, leaving journalists vulnerable to attacks by repressive regimes.
Under international humanitarian law, journalists in armed conflict hold civilian status and must be protected. Yet, when it comes to Palestinian journalists, we see nothing but frivolous words of sorrow, prayers, and eulogies.
In fact, at the time of al-Sharif’s martyrdom, CNN and BBC made it a point to link him to the Islamist resistance group, Hamas. La Presse goes so far as to highlight Israeli claims of al-Sharif being a “terrorist posing as a journalist,” despite al-Sharif’s numerous statements that he was a journalist with no political affiliations. Such accusations and harmful narratives have only one aim: to dehumanize Palestinian journalists, and shut down any and all solidarity with them.
This begs the question: what qualifies as being a journalist? And why is it that some journalists’ lives matter more than others?
Al-Sharif and his peers have to work twice as hard as others to prove their journalistic integrity and commitment to the truth, while they stand strong in the face of dangers some of us will never be brave enough to even face. In addition to being systematically hunted down by Israel, Palestinian journalists also face the delegitimization of their profession.
As journalists who are committed to reporting on the truth, we cannot remain silent while our peers in Palestine are being martyred. We must push for their security, fight to keep their voices heard, and preserve their dignity. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.