a day ago
'The message will not stop': Palestinian reporters defiant after Israel kills six journalists
Palestinian journalists in Gaza were defiant on Monday, hours after Israel killed six of their colleagues in one strike.
In one of the deadliest nights for the press since the war began, Israel killed five Palestinian journalists from Al Jazeera network, a sixth journalist and one other person.
'The message will not stop,' said Waleed Abdul Rahman, a journalist with Palestine TV, speaking to The National.
One of those killed was Al Jazeera's prominent correspondent Anas Al Sharif. Israel acknowledged the strike that killed the group of seven, saying it targeted Mr Al Sharif after accusing him of being a member of Hamas.
The deaths bring the number of journalists killed by Israel since the war began in October 2023, following the Hamas-led attack, to more than 180, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Mr Abdul Rahman noted the timing of the attack coincided with an imminent ground occupation of Gaza city. 'It confirms the occupation's premeditated intention to commit crimes and its fear of being exposed by journalists,' he explained.
Journalist Wadie Abu Al Soud described the victims as 'an imprint of the Palestinian narrative that travelled across the world without compromise', covering a war that has shifted from fighting Hamas to starving an entire population and preparing to take over their land.
Palestinian narrative
Momen Qreiqa, another journalist in Gaza, compared the killings to political intimidation elsewhere in the world: 'This assassination is no different from threatening to prosecute newspapers simply for publishing the occupation's crimes and the famine in Gaza. It is about silencing truth-tellers.'
Journalist groups in Gaza have been urging the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union and other press bodies to take immediate action.
For those who knew Anas, Mohammed and their fallen colleagues, the grief is deep, but so is their determination.
'The occupation wants to silence the message. But nothing will stop the message. The Palestinian narrative will continue to reach the world,' stressed Mr Abdul Rahman.
Islam El Zanoon of Palestine TV echoed the sentiment, saying the deadly strike was 'a painful but unsurprising tragedy'.
'We know that a press vest cannot protect us from Israeli missiles,' she told The National. "We are part of the siege and the killing. Foreign journalists must be brought in to help Palestinian journalists continue this coverage."
