Today marks the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists, at a time when the Gaza Strip is experiencing one of the bloodiest periods for journalists and media professionals. The number of martyrs has risen to more than 250 journalists since the start of the Israeli aggression nearly two years ago, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.

Silencing the truth

Observers agree that the targeting of journalists in Gaza is ‘systematic’, as the attacks have not been limited to field reporters and photographers. They have also affected media institutions, press headquarters and even the homes of journalists and their families. This onslaught has made Gaza the most dangerous place in the world for journalists today.

International human rights organisations have confirmed that the killing of such a large number of journalists in such a short period of time is unprecedented and constitutes a war crime that must be investigated. Despite repeated condemnations, no practical measures have yet been taken to protect Palestinian journalists or hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes.

A profession fraught with death

Despite these dangers, journalists in Gaza continue to carry out their professional and ethical mission. They steadfastly document in sound, images, audio, and more the bombing, starvation and destruction suffered by civilians. Many of them work with limited resources, without protective equipment or technical facilities, but they remain committed to their mission of bringing the truth to the world.

Although the number of journalists killed in Gaza has exceeded that of any previous conflict, international organisations concerned with press freedom continue to issue only formal statements of condemnation, without taking any practical steps to stop the targeting or hold those responsible to account. This silence, in the view of many, is not only a failure, but also complicity that allows the killing of journalists and the silencing of the truth to continue.

In contrast, Palestinian journalists continue their work, defying death, hunger and siege, to remain witnesses to what is happening in Gaza and a voice for their people before the world. As they bury their colleagues one after another, they find only their pens and cameras as weapons in an unequal battle, whose slogan is that the truth alone is what the occupation fears and what the world ignores.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/Al Jazeera English

By Alaa Shamali

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