GAZA, (PIC)
The Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip affirmed that journalists in the Strip are marking World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3rd, “in the language of blood, hunger, tears, and ashes, being slaughtered live on air by Israeli occupation weapons.”
In a press statement issued on Saturday, the GMO said: “While the world celebrates press freedom, the blood of Palestinian journalists runs in the streets of Gaza. Their offices and vehicles are bombed, their pens and cameras broken, their homes and properties targeted, and they are sometimes buried with their families under the rubble — simply because they chose to convey the truth.”
It pointed out that since the beginning of the Israeli aggression in October 2023 until now, 212 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been martyred by Israeli fire, including reporters, staff members, photographers, and editors working for both local and international media outlets.
Additionally, 409 others have been injured to varying degrees — some lost limbs, and all lost their sense of safety. 48 journalists have been arrested, many of whom were subjected to torture and degrading treatment, in blatant violation of international conventions.
The GMO stressed that the targeting of journalists is not incidental, but rather “a systematic media genocide,” during which the Israeli occupation committed crimes that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Neither institutions nor individuals were spared.
It reported that 143 media institutions were targeted by Israeli forces, including 12 print newspapers, 23 online outlets, 11 radio stations, and 4 satellite TV channels in Gaza. Additionally, the offices of 12 Arab and international channels were destroyed.
Israeli bombardment also destroyed 44 journalists’ homes and killed 21 influential media activists on social media platforms.
Printing presses were bombed, broadcast equipment, cameras, and live transmission vehicles were destroyed. Many digital platforms and accounts were suspended or blocked under the pretext of “violating standards.”
The Office estimated the total losses to the media sector in Gaza to exceed $400 million, as part of a comprehensive war waged by the occupation that has targeted people, infrastructure, images, sound, and words.
The GMO called for concrete and urgent action. It urged the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, Reporters Without Borders, and all international bodies concerned with press freedom to immediately and independently investigate the crimes committed against journalists.
It also demanded urgent international protection for Palestinian journalists, the lifting of the media blockade imposed on Gaza, and the referral of these cases to the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for the killings and bloodshed.
The Palestinian journalists do not just carry a camera, but carry the truth. They do not only hold a microphone, but also the voice of the oppressed. They do not sit in offices, but remain on the frontlines — where bombing, massacres, and death occur. Yet, they do not retreat, do not fall silent, and do not withdraw.
The Office paid tribute to all Palestinian journalists and media workers, “who have written the greatest stories of heroism and professionalism under bombardment and siege, and who were not deterred by the machinery of war, the ruins of homes, or the bleeding wounds from fulfilling their noble mission.”
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 170,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured — the majority of them women and children — and more than 11,000 missing persons, amid massive destruction.
