Journalist deaths in Gaza are a grave violation of the right to life and freedom of expression
Journalist deaths in Gaza are a grave violation of the right to life and freedom of expression
At least 18 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7 – more than one per day – in a gross violation of international law.
The most recent victim was Rushdi Sarraj, a young Palestinian photojournalist who was killed on Sunday when his home was bombed.
Palestinian journalists have been bravely documenting the bombardment of Gaza over the last two weeks at great personal risk, so that the world can witness the devastation being wrought on the civilian population there. With no foreign journalists allowed into the country since October 7, their dedication has provided a vital window onto the unfolding crisis.
They have continued to work despite facing the same threats and difficulties as the rest of Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants, wondering where they can find safety from continuous airstrikes, where they can find food or clean water to drink, unsure of whether they and their families will survive the day.
Under international humanitarian law, journalists are protected – as civilians – from deliberate and direct attack. ActionAid is calling for an immediate ceasefire now to protect them and all civilians in Gaza.
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine said:
“Palestinian journalists in Gaza put their lives at risk and continue their media coverage in Gaza despite continuous Israeli airstrikes, a lack of protection and safety, disrupted communications, and electricity cuts.
“We appeal to the international community to immediately intervene to investigate the attacks on journalists and media properties in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Attacking journalists is a violation of the right to life and freedom of expression.
“Journalists in Gaza are civilians and they must be protected to continue their work without interference, to enable people around the world to know and understand the reality of humanitarian and political conditions in the Gaza Strip.”
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Contact the ActionAid press office on uk.media@actionaid.org or on 07753 973 486.
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ActionAid is a global federation working with more than 41 million people living in more than 71 of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just, fair, and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality and to eradicate poverty.
