Palestinian journalist Muhammed Abu Hweidy was the latest to be killed in an Israeli attack on his home east of Gaza City.
At least 100 journalists have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, according to new figures released by the government media office in Gaza.
Palestinian journalist Muhammed Abu Hweidy was the latest to be killed in an Israeli air raid on his home east of Gaza City on Saturday, the media office said.
“The number of journalists killed has risen to 100, men and women, since the start of the brutal war in the Gaza Strip, following the martyrdom of journalist Mohammed Abu Hweidy in an Israeli airstrike in the Shujaiya neighborhood “, the office said on Telegram. social networks.
Palestinian officials in Gaza say the figure could be much higher.
However, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 69 journalists were killed in the conflict, including Tel Aviv Tribune Arab cameraman Samer Abudaqa.
More than 50 media premises or offices in Gaza have been totally or partially destroyed by Israeli attacks. Hundreds of Palestinian journalists and their families have been forcibly moved to the south.
Media workers have also been forced to abandon their reporting equipment in their northern offices to live and report in difficult conditions, amid frequent communications blackouts.
Journalists working in zones of armed conflict are protected by international humanitarian law, which Israel is accused of repeatedly violating.
Palestinian journalists said Israel was deliberately targeting them to silence their stories.
Tim Dawson, deputy secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists, told Tel Aviv Tribune it was becoming “impossible to ignore such a shockingly high toll” of journalists.
“I don’t think we’ve seen this many deaths of journalists from this focus in any conflict that I can think of. There were around 1,000 journalists in Gaza at the start of this conflict. And while there are slightly different numbers as to the precise number of deaths, if between seven and a half and 10 percent died, that’s an extraordinarily high number,” he said.
Dawson said journalists in Gaza “only have cameras, microphones and laptops and continue to do their jobs despite this absolutely staggering death toll.”
Asked by Tel Aviv Tribune whether Israel is targeting journalists, he said some Palestinian journalists told him they had “received threatening calls from people” claiming to be from the Israeli military, “warning them that they were going to be targeted.” or that their families would be threatened.” will be targeted in the coming days.”