On November 2, the world celebrated the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, while the Israeli occupation continues relentlessly its war against journalists in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, at least 174 Palestinian journalists were killed in a single year, including 19 women journalists. Nearly 200 journalists were injured to varying degrees, and many victims among journalists were exterminated along with their families.
The Freedom Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate documented 1,639 crimes and violations against journalism in Palestine since the beginning of the extermination war led by Israel.
Rachid Mesli, director of Alkarama stated that "the Israeli occupation deliberately targets journalists and the media during its ongoing military operations in Gaza to hide the truth and erase witnesses to war crimes and genocide that have devastated the region, causing the death and injuries of more than 150,000 civilians, mostly women and children."
According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, "the Israeli army killed, in one year of massive extermination war in Gaza, more than twice the number of journalists killed annually worldwide."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on this occasion that "recent years have been marked by an alarming rate of deaths in conflict zones, particularly in Gaza, where the highest number of journalists and media workers have been killed in a war in decades."
The UN indicates that "ending impunity for crimes committed against journalists is one of the most complex challenges of our time and an essential condition for ensuring freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens."
UNESCO's 2023 observations show that more than 50% of journalist killings occurred in crisis and conflict zones, and the numbers continued to rise in the first half of 2024. Alkarama notes the absence of deterrent measures against the Israeli army's policy of targeting journalists in Gaza.
In its statement for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the European Union strongly condemned attacks against journalists, calling for urgent and effective actions to protect journalists and media workers. However, no concrete sanctions have been imposed on the Israeli government.
It should be noted that the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 68/163, proclaimed November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, urging member states to adopt concrete measures to combat the current culture of impunity.