Israel's war on Gaza has killed 209 Palestinian journalists: Ambassador Khattabi - Foreign Affairs
An estimated 209 Palestinian journalists have been killed during Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi said on Friday, calling the toll 'unprecedented' and a grave assault on press freedom.
Khattabi, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Media and Communication Sector at the Arab League, made the statement on World Press Freedom Day, warning that the conflict has become one of the deadliest for media professionals in modern history.
Speaking from Cairo, Khattabi highlighted Israel's genocidal war in Gaza as a daily assault marked by the widespread killing of civilians—especially women and children—alongside the collapse of humanitarian access and systematic targeting of journalists.
He accused Israel of deliberately barring international media from entering Gaza while targeting local reporters in 'flagrant breach of international legal conventions.'
The Arab League marked World Press Freedom Day by issuing a formal statement honouring the role of independent media in challenging disinformation and resisting what it called 'false Israeli narratives.'
Khattabi called for urgent international action to protect journalists in conflict zones, including the development of new legal frameworks to respond to the specific risks of modern warfare and digital surveillance.
'This must be pursued through multilateral cooperation with international and regional bodies,' he said, advocating for a legal system that guarantees the physical safety and moral protection of journalists working under fire.
He also stressed the need for a 'balanced approach' to press freedom—one that upholds journalistic ethics and combats disinformation while defending the right to access information and speak truth to power.
The occasion, he said, is a time to honour the sacrifices of journalists who risk — and often lose — their lives in pursuit of truth.
World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on 3 May, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation by UNESCO, to recognise the role of a free press in promoting accountability, transparency, and human rights.
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