MADA calls on international community to acknowledge failure to protect journalists in Gaza

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedom (MADA) condemns the continued and growing crimes and attacks by the Israeli occupation forces and authorities against Palestinian journalists and media organizations, the latest of which was a group of Palestinian journalists. Yesterday, Wednesday, a drone fired a missile into the Gaza Strip, killing two of them, bringing the number of journalists martyred since October 7 to 167.

Al Jazeera journalist Ismail Gul and National News Agency photographer Rami Rifi were martyred yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, July 31, 2024) during a press mission in the beach camp in Gaza City, near the home of the Hamas political leader. They watched the assassination in front of Ismail Haniyeh’s house from his office, followed the reaction to the assassination, and left the location as they left in a car with press credentials. A drone in journalist uniforms fired missiles at their car, causing direct injuries to journalists Ismail and Rami, and when journalist Al Gul arrived at the city’s Baptiste Hospital, his head was separated from his body, while Rami arrived at the body parts.

The MADA Center condemns this heinous crime and all the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation government and army against journalists and media in the Gaza Strip, which cross all red lines and are being committed in a deliberate and systematic way, most notably the killing of journalists and targeting them while they are trying to prevent them from doing their work and fulfilling their mission to expose the crimes of the occupation.

“MADA” believes that the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of all these crimes and hundreds of other Israeli crimes and violations against Palestinian journalists and media outlets is a reason to encourage the Israeli occupation to continue and escalate to commit more crimes, as has been happening in Palestine for months. “MADA” demands that “the international community recognize its inability and failure to provide protection for Palestinian civilians and their journalists as long as it cannot put pressure on the Israeli Government and influence its policies” and provide them with protection.