Vigil held in London to commemorate journalists killed in Gaza

LONDON

A vigil was held Monday outside the prime minister's office in London to honor media workers killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has surpassed 34,000.

The demonstration was organized by the London Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) with the attendance of British and Palestinian journalists as well as some members of parliament (MPs) and health care workers.

Marking International Workers' Memorial Day, they remembered their colleagues by reading the names of media professionals killed in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Speaking at the rally, Labour Party MP Richard Burgon said that "truth is often the first casualty in war."

Recalling that under international law, journalists are treated as civilians, Burgon stressed that those who commit war crimes "seem to have a particular interest" in stopping journalists and systematically destroying media networks.

"Why? Because journalists share with the world the truth that they see on the ground, the truth of war crimes being committed, the truth of tens of thousands of civilians being killed by bombs, the truth of what's happening in the hospitals in Gaza, the truth of what's happening to innocent civilians, the truth of what's happening to health care workers, and over 100 journalists are being killed in Gaza," he added.

Saying that there has to be accountability for war crimes, Burgon noted that he will be presenting evidence regarding the "systematic removal of media outlets" in Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"An attack on a journalist anywhere is an attack on journalists and journalism everywhere," he added.

A statement from Tim Dawson, deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), was also read at the demonstration.

Nearly 11% of journalists in Gaza killed

In his message, Dawson said that nearly 11% of the media workers in the Gaza Strip have lost their lives, which is more than six times higher compared with the general population.

"Almost all have lost their homes and are living in tents...They have little food and water. A lack of fuel forces them to walk to work, carrying equipment on their shoulders," he said.

Saying that Israel has prevented outside reporters from freely entering, Dawson underlined that the journalist predicament has been exacerbated by the exclusion of international journalists from Gaza.

Touching on the IFJ's support for Palestinian journalists, Dawson said they are planning to open two solidarity centers to provide journalists with support and a space to work.

"We demand that the killing must stop, and we insist that journalists from Gaza and the rest of the world must be allowed to do their work free from impediments or the risk of slaughter," he added.

'Montaser was killed, like over 100 Palestinian journalists intentionally by Israelis'

In his address, British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Sitta said that Montaser Al-Sawaf, like more than 100 other journalists, was "intentionally" killed by Israel, pointing to the Lavender artificial intelligence (AI) system which allows selecting targets.

Al-Sawaf, an Anadolu freelance cameraman who was one of the journalists covering Israeli attacks on Gaza, was killed in Israeli airstrikes in December.

"Montaser and the 100 other Palestinian journalists paid with their blood so that the world can see this genocide," said Abu Sitta, the newly-appointed rector of Glasgow University in Scotland.

Recalling student protests at university campuses in the US and France in solidarity with Palestinians, he said a generation has lost faith in mainstream media outlets and finds its own sources of news from journalists directly through social media.

Participants lit candles at the end of the rally to commemorate the journalists killed by Israel.