The Israeli occupation forces
continue to commit horrific massacres in Gaza Strip as part of their ongoing
aggression since the seventh of October 2023, the latest of which was the
heinous crime that took place on Sunday evening (6/4/2025) represented in the direct targeting of a tent for
journalists in front of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, south of the
Gaza Strip, which led to the death of journalist Hilmi
Al-Faqawi.Youssef Al-Khaznadar was killed, and nine journalists and other
civilians were injured, including: Hassan Islah, Ahmed Al-Agha, Muhammad Fayek,
Abdullah Al-Attar, Ihab Al-Bardini, and Mahmoud Awad.
According to medical sources and live
testimonies, the Israeli shelling led to a fire in the tent , which was
used as a media coverage site, and the journalists were injured as a result of
the fire and direct explosion, and they were transferred to Nasser Hospital for
treatment, in a scene that summarizes the reality of the systematic targeting
of the free press in Gaza.
With the elevation of journalist
Helmy al-Faqawi, the number of journalists martyred since the beginning of
the Israeli aggression rises to 210, making this the bloodiest war against
journalists in the modern era.
Legal Description:
The targeting of journalists and
civilians, especially while practicing their professional work and covering
events from well-known and clear areas, constitutes a grave violation of the
rules of international humanitarian law and international human rights law,
in particular:
- Article
79 of Additional Protocol I to the 1977 Geneva Conventions, which states that "journalists
carrying out their duties in areas of armed conflict shall be treated as
civilian citizens and shall be protected as such."
- Article
19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees freedom of
opinion and expression and freedom of information.
- The
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (article 8) criminalizes "the
deliberate targeting of civilians" and "attacks on persons not
taking a direct part in hostilities," which applies to journalists.
This attack is part of a recurring
pattern of systematic and deliberate targeting of journalists in Gaza,
constituting a full-fledged war crime, and indicates a clear attempt to silence
the truth and prevent the documentation of crimes against civilians.
Recommendations:
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) calls
for the following:
1.The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to urgently investigate the
targeting of journalists in Gaza.
2.The International Criminal Court to include this crime in ongoing
investigations into crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
3.The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are
sending fact-finding missions and documenting these crimes in preparation for
prosecuting the perpetrators.
4.Call on the
UN Human Rights Council to issue a clear condemnation of this targeting and
work to establish an independent investigative mechanism.
5.Calling on the international media to take
tougher stances on the continued targeting of Palestinian journalists and exert
political and legal pressure on the Israeli occupation.
Beirut, 7
April 2025
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)