Killing Palestinian journalists in Gaza renders the world blind - what is Israel so afraid of?
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression were worried too.
The Al-Jazeera star correspondent, who had tirelessly documented the horrors in north Gaza, faced a deadly smear campaign from the Israeli military. They accused the Palestinian father-of-two of being a Hamas militant, which Sharif vehemently denied, and the CPJ said were completely unfounded accusations.
In fact just a few weeks ago, the CPJ said the campaign 'represented an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al-Sharif' and that the danger to his life was now acute.
UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan urged the world to act against the 'blatant attempt to endanger his life'.
No one did.
On Sunday night, Israel deliberately bombed the tent he was sleeping in, killing Anas, four of his Al Jazeera colleagues, as well as a freelance journalist in a neighbouring tent and a passerby. All within the complex of a hospital compound.
The military celebrated, claiming this state-sponsored assassination was a successful hit on a Hamas operative. The CPJ called it 'murder plain and simple' and said it is part of a pattern of accusing Palestinian journalists without providing any credible proof.
And it is simple.
Israeli strikes have already killed more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza since October 2023.
The more Palestinian journalists like Anas in Gaza that Israel kills, the fewer people there are to report on one of the most unprecedented humanitarian catastrophes of our time.
That renders the world blind.
Since the start of this war Israel has also barred international correspondents like me from entering and reporting in Gaza, except in controlled military embeds.
And so, newsrooms rely entirely on our courageous Palestinian colleagues to be the eyes on what is going on inside the besieged, bombarded, blasted strip. They are the eyes for the world.
I do not see any reason to bar international journalists from entering Gaza to also report. I, like hundreds of other correspondents, covered the devastating 2012 and 2014 wars on Gaza from inside Gaza. Back then, Israel permitted us to enter via land crossing points.
I have repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities why they will not let us in, and have yet to receive a clear explanation.
It begs the question: What is it we are not supposed to see?
The slaughter of Palestinian journalists, and the blockade on international reporters, means that you, me, all of us sitting in the comfort of our living rooms, know less about what is going on in Gaza.
In Gaza, where Israel's bombardment and war with Hamas militants has killed over 61,000 people, according to local officials; where famine is unfolding, according to the UN-backed global hunger monitor; where more than 90 per cent of the 2.3 million population have been forced to flee their homes multiple times, trapped within this kill box.
It means we know less about conditions in Gaza, where at least 50 hostages and captives seized by Hamas militants during its deadly 7 October raids on southern Israel are being held.
The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists constitutes war crimes under international humanitarian law.
If the killing of the Al-Jazeera journalists - and freelancer Mohammed al Khalidi– goes unanswered; if there is no truly impartial investigations and no accountability into the killings of all of the journalists and no justice for their families, it sets a dangerous precedent for our brave colleagues who are still (barely) alive in Gaza and under threat.
And it sets a dangerous precedent for journalists everywhere. And the pursuit of truth.
It signals that it is acceptable for a western ally - of the UK and the USA - to engage in the killing of reporters with impunity.
That makes us all less safe.
Right now, Gaza is the most dangerous place on earth to be a journalist.
To cite Amnesty: 'No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed than Israel's genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.'
For the sake of the Palestinian journalists still inside Gaza.
For the sake of all of those suffering inside Gaza right now.
For the sake of the future of journalism.
For the future of truth itself, we must demand answers and justice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
17 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
At least 25 killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid, say health officials
Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people seeking aid on Wednesday, health officials and witnesses said, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will 'allow' Palestinians to leave during an upcoming military offensive in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu wants to realise US President Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population of more than two million people through what the prime minister refers to as 'voluntary migration' – and what critics have warned could be ethnic cleansing. Advertisement 'Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want,' Mr Netanyahu said in an interview aired on Tuesday with i24, an Israeli TV station, to discuss the planned offensive in some of the territory's most populated areas including Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP) 'We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave.' Witnesses and staff at Nasser and Awda hospitals, which received the bodies, said people were killed on their way to aid distribution sites and while awaiting convoys entering the Gaza Strip. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed after apparently breaking down last month. Hamas and Egyptian officials were set to meet on Wednesday to discuss efforts to stop the war, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nounou. Israel has no plans to send its negotiating team to talks in Cairo, the prime minister's office said. Israel has said it will widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, where most of the territory's residents have sought refuge. Advertisement Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel, and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. Israeli soldiers use binoculars to look at damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip, from southern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP) The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. Mr Netanyahu was asked by i24 News if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal and he responded that he wanted all of the hostages back, alive and dead. Advertisement Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms as Israel has demanded. Israel and South Sudan are in talks about relocating Palestinians to the war-torn East African nation, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday. Advertisement The office of Israel's deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel said on Wednesday that she was arriving in South Sudan for a series of meetings in the first visit by a senior government official to the country, but she did not plan to broach the subject of moving Palestinians. Damaged humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza scattered on the ground next to the border with the Gaza Strip near the Kissufim crossing in southern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP) In a statement on Wednesday, South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called reports that it was engaging in discussions with Israel about resettling Palestinians baseless. The AP previously reported that US and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for moving Palestinians uprooted from Gaza. Among those killed while seeking aid on Wednesday were 14 Palestinians in the Teina area approximately 3km away from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to staff at Nasser hospital. Hashim Shamalah, who was trying to reach the sites, said Israeli troops fired towards them as people tried to get through. Many were shot and fell while fleeing, he said. Five other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach another GHF distribution site in the Netzarim corridor area, according to Awda hospital and witnesses. The US and Israel support the GHF, an American contractor, as an alternative to the United Nations, which they say allows Hamas to siphon off aid. The UN, which has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow, denies the allegations. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza move along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP) The GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites on Wednesday. There are aid convoys from other groups that travel within 100 metres (328ft) of GHF sites and draw large crowds attempting to loot them. An overwhelming majority of violent incidents over the past few weeks have been related to those other aid convoys, the organisation said, noting it has provided more than one million meals to aid seekers. At least six other people were killed by Israeli fire waiting for aid trucks close to the Morag corridor, which separates parts of southern Gaza, Nasser hospital said. The UN and food security experts have warned starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday reported the warning from the World Food Programme and said the Gaza Health Ministry told UN staff in Gaza that five people died over the previous 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. Gaza's Health Ministry says 106 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war and 129 adults have died since late June when the ministry started to count deaths among this age group. The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, Mr Dujarric said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities who prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. A Palestinian boy after collecting water from a distribution point in Gaza City (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory towards famine. The offensive has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
At least 25 killed by Israeli gunfire as Netanyahu says he will 'allow' Palestinians to leave
At least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire Wednesday while seeking aid, according to health officials and witnesses, as efforts to revive ceasefire talks resume and Israel's prime minister said it will 'allow' Palestinians to leave while scaling up the offensive in Gaza. efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed Staff at Nasser and Awda hospitals, which received the bodies, as well as witnesses said people were killed on their way to aid distribution sites and while awaiting convoys entering the strip. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the right thing to do was 'allow' Gaza's population to leave as Israel prepares for the next stage of the war by seizing Gaza City and other Hamas strongholds. Netanyahu wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what Netanyahu refers to as 'voluntary migration.' 'Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want," Netanyahu said in an interview with i24, an Israeli TV station. "We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave." Israel and South Sudan are in talks about relocating Palestinians to the war-torn East African nation, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The office of Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sharren Haskel, said Wednesday that she was arriving in South Sudan for a series of meetings in the first visit by a senior government official to the country, but she did not plan to broach the subject of moving Palestinians. Ceasefire talks set to reopen Efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed after appearing to have broken down last month. Hamas and Egyptian officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss efforts to stop the war, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nounou. Israel has no current plans to send its negotiating team to talks in Cairo, the prime minister's office said. Israel has said it will widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, where most of the territory's 2 million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. Netanyahu was asked by i24 News if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal and he responded that he wanted all of the hostages back, both alive and dead. Egyptian Foreign Ministry Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms as Israel has demanded. Killed while seeking aid Among those killed while seeking aid Wednesday were 14 Palestinians in the Teina area approximately 3 kilometers away from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to staff at Nasser hospital. Hashim Shamalah, who was trying to reach the sites, said Israeli troops fired toward them as people tried to get through. Many were shot and fell while fleeing, he said. Five other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach another GHF distribution site in the Netzarim corridor area, according to Awda hospital and witnesses. The U.S. and Israel support GHF, an American contractor, as an alternative to the United Nations, which they say allows Hamas to siphon off aid. The U.N., which has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow, denies the allegations. GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites Wednesday. There are aid convoys from other groups that travel within 100 meters (328 feet) of GHF sites and draw large crowds attempting to loot them. An overwhelming majority of violent incidents over the past few weeks have been related to those other aid convoys, the organization said, noting it has provided more than 1 million meals to aid seekers. At least six other people were killed by Israeli fire waiting for aid trucks close to the Morag corridor, which separates parts of southern Gaza, Nasser hospital said. The U.N. and food security experts have warned starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday reported the warning from the World Food Program and said the Gaza Health Ministry told U.N. staff in Gaza that five people died over the previous 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. Gaza's Health Ministry says 106 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war and 129 adults have died since late June when the ministry started to count deaths among this age group. The U.N. and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, Dujarric said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities who prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The offensive has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. ___
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Chairman of Sheku Bayoh Inquiry decides against recusing himself
A procedural hearing ordered by Lord Bracadale was held in June after he revealed he has met with Bayoh's family on five occasions since the inquiry began. Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3 2015. After considering the matter, Lord Bracadale has refused the application for his recusal. READ MORE: Glasgow arts centre 'deeply sorry' for handling of pro-Palestine protest in June In a decision published on Wednesday, he said: 'Having reviewed the facts, the fair-minded and informed observer would conclude that there was no real possibility that I was biased.' He said such an observer would note that 'although the meetings with the families of Sheku Bayoh were private, they were not kept secret'. The application for recusal of the chairman and assessors was lodged on behalf of the Scottish Police Federation, Pc Craig Walker and Nicole Short. A spokesperson for the inquiry said: 'The inquiry held a procedure and conduct hearing on June 12. 'After careful consideration of written and oral submissions from core participants, Lord Bracadale has decided not to recuse himself or terminate the appointments of the assessors. 'Having regard to the relevant legal test, he has determined there is no apparent bias. 'Taking into account various considerations in respect of the handling of the inquiry, he has determined having meetings with the families was not unfair. 'There is much important work for the inquiry still to do, not least proceeding with closing submissions and moving towards the writing of the final report. The team is working at pace and will announce next steps in due course.' The inquiry has been examining the circumstances of Mr Bayoh's death, and whether race was a factor. (Image: PA) In a statement issued on behalf of the Bayoh family, lawyer Aamer Anwar said: 'Lord Bracadale, following an application by the Scottish Police Federation, Pcs Craig Walker and Nicole Short to recuse himself and to terminate the appointments of the assessors Raju Bhatt and Michael Fuller, has refused to do so – he has delivered a humiliating and devastating indictment not just on the Federation but also the Solicitor General and Police Scotland. 'Despite their desperate claims, the chair Lord Bracadale has done nothing wrong, he is a judge with over 50 years' legal experience, respected for his impartiality and integrity. 'It comes as no surprise that both the Police Federation and Solicitor General failed to grasp that this inquiry's duty under the Human Rights Act is to conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Sheku Bayoh, having at the inquiry's heart the Bayoh family. 'There is nothing wrong with the chair treating a bereaved family with compassion and respect.' Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: 'I note the detailed and extensive consideration that has informed Lord Bracadale's decision and hope all parties involved can progress the important work of the inquiry as soon as possible. 'The Scottish Government remains committed to establishing the facts surrounding the circumstances leading to Mr Bayoh's death. 'However, as it is vital all public inquiries operate independently of government, it would be inappropriate of me to comment any further.'
