Four years ago today, Shireen Abu Akleh was assassinated by an Israeli soldier. Since then, Israel has killed more than 275 journalists in Gaza and Lebanon. The world that let Shireen’s killer walk free made all of this possible.
Ahmad Barakat knew he could be killed the moment he sat down to interview Hamas security leaders and police officers for our story. He did it anyway.
The new documentary “Gaza: Journalists Under Fire” honors the remarkable bravery and work of Palestinian journalists reporting on the Gaza genocide, including those who have been killed by Israel simply for sharing the truth.
In Palestine, journalistic integrity isn’t derived from AP or the New York Times. It is grounded in the faithfulness of Palestinian journalists to their people and to the truth of their reality. That is why Israel is killing them.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza are carrying on a tradition of “committed journalism” that began decades ago. They, like their predecessors, were killed in the line of duty because they were working for a cause.
The Israeli army carried out a ‘double-tap’ strike on the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists who worked for Al Jazeera, Reuters, and the Associated Press.
The genocide brought Palestinian journalists closer together and created a collective with a single, unified mission: to tell the truth about what’s happening in Gaza. That is why Israel is assassinating them.
Israel murdered Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues because genocide can only proceed without witnesses. Western media outlets have failed to condemn the systematic murder of Palestinian journalists, and in the process have become accomplices.
The Israeli army killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and five of his colleagues in a targeted strike on a journalists’ tent outside al-Shifa Hospital. The attack has effectively wiped out all of Al Jazeera’s staff in Gaza City.
Israel’s policy of blocking international reporters from entering Gaza is cruel and aims to prevent the world from learning about the unfolding genocide. Tragically, the mainstream press has rarely mentioned the restriction, let alone condemned it.