Just one week before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in partnership with Avaaz, launched a global campaign urging the international community to stop Israel’s crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
A Global Day of Protest
The campaign called on media outlets worldwide to join a day of action, closing front pages in print newspapers, removing banners and logos from digital outlets, and silencing on-air jingles or promos on radio and television. The message: the killing of journalists is not collateral damage, but a deliberate policy to silence the truth.
More than 500 media organizations in over 50 countries pledged their support, though U.S. media participation remained limited.
An Unprecedented Massacre
According to the latest figures, 273 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023—what Al Jazeera has described as a “clear intent to bury the truth.”
This marks the deadliest wave of journalist killings ever documented, compounded by Israel’s ongoing ban on all foreign reporters entering Gaza, ensuring total control of the narrative.
Voices from Gaza
Among the fallen was Palestinian photojournalist Maryam Abu Daqa, who left her 10-year-old son a heartbreaking voice message before being killed in an Israeli strike:
“My love, I want you never to forget me… Don’t cry, just pray for me. Be strong, make me proud.”
On August 10, an Israeli airstrike directly targeted a press tent, killing six journalists, including 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif, a beloved Al Jazeera correspondent. Before his death, he explained why he refused to leave northern Gaza despite threats to his life:
“The occupation doesn’t want the images to come out… but we are determined to continue until our last breath.”
Stage-Managed Media & “Militainment”
While Gaza remains sealed off to independent foreign reporters, Israel recently announced it would allow embedded tours for international journalists—only under military escort. This means all reporting is subject to military censorship, echoing practices from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when war coverage turned into what scholars later called “militainment”—military propaganda packaged as news with Hollywood-style flair.
A study by the independent Beirut-based outlet The Public Source examined Western journalists embedded with the Israeli military in southern Lebanon in October 2024. It found their reports relied almost entirely on Israeli army sources, repeated unverified claims, and spread misinformation about Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the UN.
The study concluded such coverage was “journalistically worthless—propaganda dressed up as news.”
Ethical Questions
This raises pressing questions:
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Can embedding with an army accused of war crimes ever be considered ethical journalism?
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At what point does “reporting alongside war criminals” become legitimizing their crimes?
As media watchdog FAIR put it:
“Don’t fool yourselves: when journalists accept Israel’s embedding conditions, they implicitly accept the deaths of their colleagues as an acceptable price for access—granted by the very killers, on their terms.”
Demands for Accountability
RSF and Avaaz have called for:
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An end to Israel’s impunity for killing journalists.
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Emergency evacuation of Palestinian journalists wishing to leave Gaza.
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Independent foreign press access to the territory.
Earlier this year, in June, RSF joined the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and over 200 press freedom groups in demanding the same. Yet Israel has continued its blanket ban on international media.
A Lasting Stain
As Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi warned:
“Western media outlets that refuse to say Israel is deliberately killing journalists—and that it is barring us from Gaza—bear a disgrace that should last forever.”
The killing of journalists in Gaza is not just a war crime. It is an attempt to execute truth itself. In a world where information underpins democracy, silence in the face of this massacre may prove even more dangerous than the crime itself.
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Support Dawat Media Center
If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Dawat Media Center from as little as $/€10 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you
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