Israel’s Targeted killing The conflict between the Al Jazeera correspondents in Gaza over the weekend was notable even for journalists, even a highly bloody conflict, with some experts marveling at how all the news came out of the territory.
Al Jazeera executives said Monday they would not step back from covering what is going on there, calling for news organizations to step up and recruit more journalists. A total of 184 Palestinian journalists and media workers were killed by Israel in the Gaza War, according to the Commission on Protecting Journalists. This is compared to the 18 journalists and media workers killed so far in the Russian-Ukraine War, the CPJ said.
Aside from the rare guided tours, Israel has banned international media from covering the 22-month war in Gaza. Instead, news organizations rely heavily on the residents and ingenuity of Gaza, Palestinians, to show the world what’s going on there. Israel often question the affiliation and prejudice of Palestinian journalists, but does not allow others.
“When the story appears, you simply have a respectful attitude,” said Jane Ferguson, a veteran war correspondent and founder. noospherean independent platform for journalists. She can’t remember the conflicts that reporters are more difficult to cover, and has been reported from South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan.
Correspondent Anas al-Sharif knows he is the target and leaves a message that comes with his death. He and seven other people (six of them journalists) were killed in an airstrike outside Gaza’s largest hospital complex on Sunday. Israel quickly argued for responsibility, saying that it did not generate evidence that Al-Sharif led Hamas cell. It was an allegation denied by news organizations and Al Sharif.
Gaza journalists’ casualties were high
Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, BBC News and Reuters are among the organisations that regularly report from Gaza. AP dispatch on August 7th I clearly explained my hunger Many people in Gaza face. “A bowl of eggplant simmered in watery tomato juice must maintain the family of six Sally Mujed for the day. She calls it Moussaka, but it’s a pale echo of fragrant meat and made dishes once seasoned in Gaza kitchens.”
Other recent AP reports have been reported Image and text report From the aftermath of Israel’s strike against Gaza’s only Catholic Church, and Profile of an aspiring doctor at 18 years old Now he is trying to survive in a tent.
The Washington Post and Guardian journalists have recently been accompanied by a Jordanian rescue mission. Gaza images from the skyDespite some restrictions from Israel. Lorenzo Tondo of the Guardian wrote: “Gaza, seen from the air, looks like the ruins of an ancient civilization that has been brought to life after darkness for centuries.”
However, none of the organizations match Al Jazeera’s power and immediacy, but its correspondents were in front of the camera. They also paid the heaviest price. CPJ estimates that 11 journalists and media workers from AJ have been killed in the Gaza conflict more than any other organization.
in Social Media Posts Written in June, which will be sent if he was killed, Al-Sharif said, “I have suffered in all the details, and have experienced many suffering and losses, but have never been hesitant to tell the truth without distortion or forgery.
In another post to X on August 10th, the day he was killed, Al-Sharif wrote about the challenges covering the aftermath of one attack. He said he lost the power and ability to express himself when he arrived on the scene.
“The body parts and blood were all around us, and the bodies were scattered over each other,” he wrote. “What words or phrases would help journalists explain this scary image. When they aired it as a “scene that cannot be explained,” I was truly helpless in the face of this scary sight. ”
Al Jazeera is hoping other news organizations can move forward
Sarah Negum, news director for Al Jazeera English, said it would be extremely difficult to bring people to Gaza on Monday. But it’s full of educated people and those trained in journalism who can help bring out stories. He called on other news organizations to step up.
“We receive news from several sources on the ground in Gaza, not just journalists, but doctors, hospitals, civil servants and aid workers,” Negum said. “Many people in Gaza talk to us.”
Many of the journalists working in Gaza The same struggle to find foodfor yourself and their families, as people they cover. Ferguson of Nosfair said he never had to ask reporters if he had enough food for himself and his children.
In an interview on “Democracy Now!” in May, 22-year-old journalist Abubaker Abed described the difficult decision to leave Gaza to pursue education in Ireland. Not only did he suffer from malnutrition, but his mother was worried that his job as a journalist would be a target for him and his family, he said.
“If I stayed, I would die,” he said.
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said he is concerned about the impact of journalists in future conflicts if what is happening in Gaza is allowed to continue without international condemnation with genuine teeth.
“They generally accept what is essentially a war crime equivalent,” Ginsburg said.
Given everything they are facing, “For me, the most notable thing is that journalists continue to cover (Gaza) at all,” she said.
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Laurie Kelman and Danica Kirk of London, Sammy Magiddy of Cairo and Sam Metz of Jerusalem contributed to the report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment on the AP. Follow him in http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.