ActionAid International said today, Sunday, October 22, 2023, that at least 18 journalists have been martyred in the Gaza Strip since October 7 - that is, more than one journalist per day. The latest victim was Rushdi al-Sarraj, a young Palestinian photojournalist, who was killed on Sunday when his house was bombed.
ActionAid International confirmed that the killing of journalists in Gaza constitutes a serious violation of the right to life and freedom of expression.
She added: “Palestinian journalists have been courageously documenting the bombing of Gaza over the past two weeks, putting themselves in grave danger so that the world can see the devastation being inflicted on the civilian population there. With foreign journalists not being allowed to enter the country since October 7, the dedication of journalists has provided The Palestinians are a vital window into the unfolding crisis.”
ActionAid called for an immediate ceasefire to protect them and all civilians in Gaza.
Reham Al-Jaafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, said, “Palestinian journalists in Gaza are putting their lives at risk and continuing their media coverage, despite the ongoing Israeli air strikes, lack of protection and safety, communications outages, and electricity outages.”
She added: “We call on the international community to intervene immediately to investigate the attacks on journalists and media property in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The attack on journalists constitutes a violation of the right to life and freedom of expression.”
She stressed that "journalists in Gaza are civilians and must be protected to continue their work without interference, to enable people around the world to know and understand the truth about the humanitarian and political conditions in the Gaza Strip."
It is noteworthy that ActionAid International is a global federation that works with more than 41 million people living in more than 72 of the world’s poorest countries.
