Keir Starmer told to back probe after five Gaza journalists killed by Israel
The strike hit a tent housing Al Jazeera journalists that was outside Shifa Hospital, Rami Mohanna, administrative director for the hospital, would later say.
A total of seven people were killed in the attack, including Mohammed Qreiqeh, another Al Jazeera correspondent, and Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, who were camera operators.
Israel's military confirmed killing al-Sharif, alleging he was with Hamas.
READ MORE: SNP demand UK Government act amid Israeli E1 plan in West Bank
The deaths caused international outrage, and now the UK Gaza community, which represents 350 Palestinian families from Gaza living in the UK, has urged the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to demand answers.
In a letter to Starmer, Lammy and media secretary Lisa Nandy, the group named those killed, adding: 'These journalists are not just names on a screen — they are well known to us.
'They are friends, relatives, former classmates, and people from our neighbourhoods. Their families, schools, and communities are deeply woven into our own lives here in the UK.
'They have been the faces and voices relating the horror back home to us, and their loss is deeply distressing and personal.'
The letter then said that UK officials have not yet taken any 'meaningful action' to stop the genocide in Gaza or 'grave violations' of human rights and press freedoms.
'The killing of journalists — targeted or through reckless disregard — is a breach of international humanitarian law and an assault on truth itself, intended to disguise Israel's genocidal project from public view,' it adds.
'This incident is not an isolated tragedy. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
'The Gaza government's media office places the figure at 238 journalists, and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) records at least 180 Palestinian media workers killed. These figures reveal an unprecedented and systematic assault on the press.'
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says monarchy 'should end soon' at book launch
The group then urged the UK Government to suspend arms sales and military cooperation to Israel, condemn the killing of journalists and targeting of civilians by Israeli forces, and to demand and back an independent 'transparent' international investigation into the killing of journalists 'with a view to holding those responsible accountable under international law'.
Demanding protection for journalists and civilians through diplomatic routes was also requested.
'Our frustration grows each day that silence prevails,' the letter ends.
'These killings are part of a systemic pattern that must end. The UK must stand up for its stated values and use its influence to protect journalists and civilians in Gaza.
'We demand action — not tomorrow, not in the coming weeks — but now.'
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
A few minutes before his death, al-Sharif posted on X: 'Breaking: Intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment using 'fire belts' is hitting the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City.'
The 28-year-old leaves behind a wife and two small children.
His father was reportedly killed by an Israeli strike on the family home in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City in December 2023. Al-Sharif said he would continue to report and refused to leave Gaza.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon defends Kate Forbes over Fringe venue ban
The former SNP leader told reporters in Edinburgh that she disagreed with cancel culture. It comes amid a row over the Summerhall venue's decision not to have Forbes back at any future events following a fringe show organised by The Herald. The venue has reportedly suggested that John Swinney's deputy posed a safety and wellbeing risk to its staff over her views on trans rights. READ MORE: Bold plans to save Scottish BBC studios from 'fading into history' unveiled Forbes is a devout Christian and a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland. She was criticised during her SNP leadership battle for her stance on gay marriage, abortion and trans rights. Sturgeon, who appointed Forbes as finance secretary while she was first minister, was asked whether she agreed with Summerhall's decision. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) 'I don't agree with cancel culture and I don't agree with that,' she said. She added that she took no responsibility for the venue's decision. Summerhall, which has received more £600,000 in government funding, previously held Herald Unspun live events with Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, the latter of whom has U-turned over his stance on gender self-ID. Forbes expressed disappointment at the venue and said she 'fervently' believes in freedom of speech. 'Any effort to cancel people, especially politicians, undermines democracy,' she said. 'Many people attended the Herald event and it is important that we could freely discuss and debate matters in a respectful manner. 'I respect and acknowledge the fact that, in a liberal democracy, there are people who will agree with me and others who will disagree with me. 'That is all the more reason to create events where the audience and journalists can question politicians openly, as the Herald did.' In a statement, the Summerhall venue said: 'This event was booked as a series of long-form interviews prior to the guest list being confirmed. 'Summerhall Arts primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of the artists and performers we work with, and going forward we will be developing robust, proactive inclusion and wellbeing policies that would prevent this oversight in our bookings process happening again.' Shona Robison, who succeeded Forbes as Finance Secretary, also defended her colleague, calling Summerhall's decision 'unwise and unnecessary'.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon's legacy changed Scotland – not for the better
There are obvious reasons for that. Her electoral success as First Minister is unimpeachable (save for a slight setback in the 2017 general election). Her UK-wide popularity, which started with her role in the Brexit referendum and peaked during the Covid pandemic, was surely higher than any of us imagined a Scottish nationalist leader's could be. The breakdown in her relationship with Alex Salmond and the circumstances surrounding it constitutes a political soap opera more salacious than anything the UK has seen in my lifetime. Read More: Her own arrest and that of her husband, the latter of whose case is ongoing, was jaw-dropping. And, of course there was gender recognition legislation, hammered through the Parliament at a time where dissent was a rarity, and perhaps the clearest indicator that Ms Sturgeon's hitherto ultra-sensitive public radar had diminished. It would be easy to identify any of these areas and claim it as Ms Sturgeon's legacy, and I am certain that her supporters and detractors will do just that. Some of her fanbase, many members of which remain at the heart of government, will cite her handling of Covid as her legacy. Her opponents inside nationalism will cite her role in the defenestration of Alex Salmond, and her detractors outside the movement will more likely reference the gender recognition debacle. In the final analysis, however, her real, enduring legacy is none of those things. Her enduring legacy is something far less superficially interesting; something far less likely to make the front page of a newspaper. No, by the end of this decade we will see Nicola Sturgeon's legacy as a decisive shift in Scottish public policy to the ideological left. This strategic philosophical change has stayed with us, and has permeated into the agendas of her successors Humza Yousaf (who didn't want to change it) and John Swinney (who, with his Deputy Kate Forbes, is experiencing how difficult it is to put the egg back in the shell). Whether or not this ideological movement is good news or bad news is largely in the eye of the beholder. Those on the left of the SNP, and of course those in Ms Sturgeon's coalition partners, the Greens, will celebrate this legacy. And so they should. Centrist and centrist-right economic policy, and a public service reform agenda, have been successfully neutered. I must say, though, that this is not an opinion I share, and however laudable the policy intention, during the next term of Parliament the chickens will come home to roost in a number of areas. Take schooling. The education establishment has spent the last decade obsessed (not too strong a word) with 'closing the attainment gap'. Nobody has questioned whether more homogenous attainment is good for the country (it isn't). And more importantly everyone has looked the other way when they have seen attempts to close the attainment gap in action. In schools all over Scotland, the method of closing the gap is not to raise the level of those at the bottom, but to suppress the level of those at the top. This happens every day, in every Scottish state school, and I have been witnessing it first hand for a decade. Together with the collapse in knowledge as part of the Scottish curriculum, the rejection of an excellence agenda is having a dramatic impact. This impact is most succinctly displayed by the international PISA data, which has recorded constant absolute and relative declines in Scottish educational performance in reading, maths and science. The impact is being felt by universities, with multiple anecdotal evidence that Scottish students are having to be placed, in effect, in remedial classes to catch up with British and international peers. And the impact will be felt by Scottish employers and the Scottish economy, the future of which is the children currently at school. Education is hardly the only example. The NHS is a poor service, with poor outcomes, swallowing up an eye-watering volume of public money, all over the UK. Quietly, though, the service in England is adapting to financial and demographic inevitabilities by working much more closely with private providers to expand capacity, reduce waiting lists, and improve outcomes. This will ultimately improve public health and therefore economic productivity … in England. In Scotland, we are not working with the private sector, and appear unwilling to make the obvious arguments for so doing. This is a policy decision driven by a leftist, anti-private sector agenda. High income taxes which we know prevent high taxpayers coming to Scotland, when we need a higher tax base. Rent caps, which we know prevent investment to alleviate the housing shortage. A presumption against building out our trunk roads, which is a humiliating skeleton of a network by European standards. And of course a presumption against oil and gas, which is losing us the investment and the workers we need to exploit our renewables potential. All policy decisions, all framed by this decisive move to the left expertly executed by Ms Sturgeon. I am far from blind to Ms Sturgeon's abilities or accomplishments, or indeed her ability to make good calls. I was heartened, for instance, to read that she opposed the release of the Lockerbie bomber, which I still regard as the most reprehensible decision taken by any government since devolution. Furthermore, although bandwagons are easy to jump on, I have always liked Nicola Sturgeon in my personal interactions with her. I continue to judge her by those, and therefore my personal feelings towards her are unchanged. However she and I come from a different place on the ideological spectrum. That is how I judge her legacy now and, as should always be the case in politics, that is how history will judge her, too. Andy Maciver is Founding Director of Message Matters, and co-host of the Holyrood Sources podcast
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Solomon Pena jailed over gun attacks on Dems' homes in New Mexico
"Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," said Ryan Ellison, the U.S. Attorney for New Mexico. "This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors, we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice." Accomplices Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo pleaded guilty last year on similar charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. They were sentenced to a collective 18 years in prison. While in custody, Pena tried offering fellow inmates money and a vehicle in exchange for killing the pair, federal officials said. An attorney for Pena did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. "Across the country, we have seen a disturbing uptick in politically-motivated violence over the last several years," State Representative Javier Martinez, one of the targeted lawmakers, told USA TODAY in a statement. "Every single elected leader, regardless of the office we hold or the party we belong to, must speak up against this violence and the dangerous misinformation that fuels it." What did Solomon Pena do? Pena ran during the 2022 midterm elections for a New Mexico House of Representatives seat covering parts of Albuquerque. He lost to the Democratic incumbent Miguel P. Garcia, with around 2,000 votes to Garcia's 5,700, according to the state election results. Pena attempted to pressure the county board of commissioners to refuse to certify the election results, and when that failed, he turned to violence, prosecutors said. He orchestrated attacks on Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, New Mexico state Representative Javier Martinez, former Bernalillo County Commissioner, New Mexico state Senator Debbie O'Malley, and New Mexico state Senator Linda Lopez. All are Democrats. The attacks occurred between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023. The bullets fired in the assaults hit houses, cars, and even passed inside the bedroom of a 10-year-old girl, according to court filings and statements from police. Barboa previously told USA TODAY that she laid blame for the attack on President Donald Trump. "People don't think that voice from the White House will reach all the way down to someone like Solomon Pena, but it does," Barboa said, recalling seeing the damage done by the bullets that whizzed through her living room and kitchen. "That year, for the whole entire year, we had election deniers coming to every meeting." Related: Court papers reveal details on former Republican candidate linked to shootings at New Mexico lawmakers' homes Political attacks in the U.S. Pena's sentencing comes amid a year that's seen deadly attacks against politicians. Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were assassinated at their home in June. Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were also attacked the same night at their home. Vance Boelter, 57, has been charged in connection with the attacks. In May, Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed in Washington, D.C. Elias Rodriguez, 31, has been charged with their murders as well as with a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the "actual and perceived national origin of any person." Staffers Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were about to be engaged to be married. Contributing: Reuters
