Journalists killed in Gaza by Israel ‘more than double’ annual global average: Press union

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The number of Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip in one year is more than double the annual global average, a Palestinian press union said on Saturday.

In a statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Israeli forces have killed 183 journalists in Gaza since October 2023.

“This figure is more than double the number of journalists killed annually around the world,” it added.

“The massacres committed systematically by the (Israeli) occupation forces against Palestinian journalists in Gaza, aimed at eliminating witnesses of the truth, will not go unpunished,” the syndicate stressed.

It described the “horrific massacres against journalism and humanity by the occupation forces in Gaza” as the “largest and most brutal massacre of journalists in the history of media worldwide.”

On Friday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that 900 journalists have been killed worldwide since 2013, averaging 82 journalists per year, which is less than half the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza.

The syndicate called on countries and institutions around the world to "take urgent measures and decisions to establish binding and deterrent legal mechanisms to hold accountable and prosecute the murderers of journalists, ensuring they do not escape punishment."

Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group.

More than 43,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala