ISTANBUL

Prominent Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh has demanded justice for more than 250 reporters killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip during Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on the enclave.

“What happened in this war was unprecedented, in its form, substance, and scale,” Dahdouh, bureau chief of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television in Gaza, told Anadolu on the sidelines of the TRT World Forum 2025 in Istanbul.

“We lost 256 Palestinian journalists, hundreds of our family members, and hundreds more were injured, and dozens detained. We lost our offices, our homes — everything,” he said.

Dahdouh, who was injured and lost his wife, daughter, two sons, and a grandchild in Israeli attacks in Gaza, warned that global silence and inaction toward Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity would only encourage Tel Aviv to commit more.

“For decades, Israel – not just in this war – has consistently escaped accountability and punishment. It has never been held to account by the international community,” Dahdouh said.

He warned that Israel’s impunity “violates the right to life, freedom of speech, and the right to information; rights that belong not just to Gazans or journalists, but to all humanity.

“This war,” he added, “was the peak of that impunity, as though the world was rewarding Israel for its crimes instead of holding it responsible.”

Dahdouh denounced “the great failure and moral collapse” of international media institutions during the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, as they have been “more loyal than the king” in their Israeli narrative-based coverage without verification or evidence.

He noted that many Israeli newspapers, such as Haaretz, criticized the Israeli army and exposed some of its crimes, and many Israelis express critical opinions, “while most of the international media still hesitate to take a professional stance.”

Dahdouh urged global media outlets to expose Israel’s false narrative and not forget the Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza, demanding accountability for their deaths.

Despite the biased and unprofessional global coverage, “Gaza journalism achieved unprecedented levels of professionalism,” Dahdouh said, praising both professional media workers and citizens reporting via social media.

“The events were far beyond what traditional journalists could cover, and citizen journalism emerged powerfully. Our people have lived through many wars, and ordinary citizens played a crucial role through social media, bringing countless images, facts, and human stories to the world.

“The Israeli narrative lost its credibility worldwide,” he continued. “It collapsed and fractured, and while Israel is now trying to repair it and reassert control over both traditional and social media, it’s too late.

“I hope the journalists and their families who were martyred do not turn into just numbers. Their stories, dreams, and aspirations must stay alive in everyone’s hearts,” Dahdouh said.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed nearly 69,000 people and injured more than 170,600, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The Gaza Government Media Office said that 256 Palestinian journalists, including several women, were among those killed by the Israeli army, many of whom had been working under extremely harsh conditions and enduring famine to document Israeli crimes in the enclave.

The Israeli assault came to a halt under a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10, as part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan.

Phase one of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.