Current:Home > MyGlobal journalist group says Israel-Hamas conflict is a war beyond compare for media deaths-LoTradeCoin
Global journalist group says Israel-Hamas conflict is a war beyond compare for media deaths
View Date:2024-12-23 23:13:02
BRUSSELS (AP) — With a journalist or media worker killed every day on average in the Israel-Hamas war, the head of the global organization representing the profession said Monday that it has become a conflict beyond compare.
About 60 have been killed since the Oct. 7 start of the war, already close to the same number of journalists killed during the entire Vietnam War half a century ago. Other brutal wars in the Middle East have not come close to the intensity of the current one.
“In a war, you know, a classical war, I can say that in Syria, in Iraq, in ex-Yugoslavia, we didn’t see this kind of massacre,” Anthony Bellanger, the general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, told The Associated Press.
And since the end of the weeklong cease-fire in Gaza on Friday, the misery has continued, he said: “Unfortunately, we received the bad news this weekend — after the end of this cease-fire — and at least three or four were killed.”
Bellanger said they are mourning around 60 journalists, including at least 51 Palestinian ones and also Israeli and Lebanese. Most were killed during Israel’s bombardment in the Gaza Strip. He said Israeli journalists were also killed during Hamas’ attack in southern Israel that set off the war.
He said those numbers are based on all available sources that the federation uses for its annual report.
Along with the human toll, the premises of many media organizations in Gaza have been destroyed, he said. He estimated there were about 1,000 journalists and media workers in Gaza before the conflict and said that now, no one can get out.
And yet amid the rubble, local journalists continue to do their job, said Nasser Abu Baker, president of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
“They lost their families and they continue their work,” he said. “They are without houses and they continue their work. ... Without food, without the security for them, without their families. Also, if their families are still alive, they are not with their families because they are living or sleeping in the hospitals.”
Bellanger said Israeli authorities were not responsive.
“I called the Israeli government, but they didn’t reply. And when I went to Palestine a few days ago, I proposed to the government press office to have a meeting, just to have a follow-up about this call. But nobody replies,” he said.
Israel has said it makes every effort to avoid killing civilians and accuses Hamas of putting them at risk by operating in residential areas.
The IFJ and Reporters Without Borders have called on International Criminal Court prosecutors to investigate the deaths of journalists and media workers, and ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan has visited the area.
The ICC’s prosecution office is already investigating the actions of Israeli and Palestinian authorities dating back to the Israel-Hamas war in 2014. The probe can also consider allegations of crimes committed during the current war.
Khan has called on Israel to respect international law but stopped short of accusing the country of war crimes. He called Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Israel argues the ICC has no jurisdiction in the conflict because the Palestinian territories are not an independent sovereign state. Israel isn’t a party to the treaty that underpins the ICC and is not one of its 123 member states.
Bellanger didn’t see sudden change on the ground coming soon but said that as the chief of the global journalism network, “I don’t have the right to be pessimistic.”
___
Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
veryGood! (5429)
Related
- Judge recuses himself in Arizona fake elector case after urging response to attacks on Kamala Harris
- Cooling Pajamas Under $38 to Ditch Sweaty Summer Nights
- A new film explains how the smartphone market slipped through BlackBerry's hands
- California Passed a Landmark Law About Plastic Pollution. Why Are Some Environmentalists Still Concerned?
- Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
- The racial work gap for financial advisors
- Disney's Q2 earnings: increased profits but a mixed picture
- Fifty Years After the UN’s Stockholm Environment Conference, Leaders Struggle to Realize its Vision of ‘a Healthy Planet’
- COINIXIAI Introduce
- Should EPA Back-Off Pollution Controls to Help LNG Exports Replace Russian Gas in Germany?
Ranking
- New Pentagon report on UFOs includes hundreds of new incidents but no evidence of aliens
- Housing dilemma in resort towns
- The Decline of Kentucky’s Coal Industry Has Produced Hundreds of Safety and Environmental Violations at Strip Mines
- Eastwind Books, an anchor for the SF Bay Area's Asian community, shuts its doors
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Indian Court Rules That Nature Has Legal Status on Par With Humans—and That Humans Are Required to Protect It
- Coach 4th of July Deals: These Handbags Are Red, White and Reduced 60% Off
- This Foot Mask with 50,000+ 5 Star Reviews on Amazon Will Knock the Dead Skin Right Off Your Feet
Recommendation
-
Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
-
Biden administration warns consumers to avoid medical credit cards
-
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky Address “Untrue” Divorce Rumors
-
Everything We Know About the It Ends With Us Movie So Far
-
The Latin Grammys are almost here for a 25th anniversary celebration
-
Finding Out These Celebrities Used to Date Will Set Off Fireworks in Your Brain
-
The economics of the influencer industry, and its pitfalls
-
Proteger a la icónica salamandra mexicana implíca salvar uno de los humedales más importantes del país