As the death toll continues to rise, MADA stresses the urgent need for global action to protect Palestinian media on the ground.
This statement was originally published on madacenter.org on 20 November 2024.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, (MADA), strongly condemns the systematic escalation of horrific crimes and violations targeting Palestinian journalists in Gaza Strip. These include deliberate killings and severe violations that threaten their lives. MADA further expresses its profound concern over the continuation of these acts, which represent a flagrant violation of international conventions that guarantee press freedom and the safety of journalists while carrying out their professional duties as civilians.
The latest of these crimes occurred on Tuesday, November 19, when photojournalist and editor AHMED YOUSEF ABU SHREIAH, a reporter for Tasneem International News Agency, was killed after being directly targeted by a shell while covering an airstrike near his home in the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Also, FATIMA AL-KREIRI, a reporter for Al-Quds Today TV, died from a severe crisis caused by ongoing bombing and aggression on Gaza Strip. She was transferred to Shifa Hospital and passed away immediately. This brings the total number of journalists killed since the beginning of the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, to 198.
MADA condemns all violations against journalists and media freedoms in Gaza, particularly the killing of journalists, which reflects a dangerous agenda aimed at silencing the Palestinian media voice.
MADA calls on the international community, human rights organizations, and institutions dedicated to protecting journalists to assume their responsibilities in safeguarding Palestinian journalists. It emphasizes the urgent need for swift and effective actions to ensure accountability for those responsible for these crimes and to bring them to justice. It also urges global media organizations to express solidarity with Palestinian journalists and to highlight the dangers they face.
MADA reiterates that journalism is not a crime, and any attempt to silence it will not deter Palestinian journalists from continuing their mission to report the truth and expose the violations faced by civilians in Gaza. It commends the courage and determination of Palestinian journalists who persist in their work despite the continuous threats to their lives. It views any attack on them as an attack on freedom of expression and the right of people to know what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories, where atrocities against civilians are taking place.
