Condemnation Statement: Israeli Crimes in Gaza – Targeting Journalists and Medical Personnel

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) strongly condemns the deliberate killing of Palestinian journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari and her family by Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

This crime is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, systematic campaign targeting journalists and media workers to silence independent reporting and obstruct the documentation of the ongoing atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

According to verified reports, Israeli forces directly bombed a residential building in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, where journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari lived with her family. The attack resulted in the death of Al-Jaabari, her husband, their four children, and her unborn child—seven lives extinguished in a single airstrike. Walaa Al-Jaabari, who worked for various local radio stations, had published a statement the day before her death expressing the fear and despair engulfing civilians in Gaza: “I'm not afraid of dying from hunger—I'm afraid of the heartbreak if this senseless war doesn’t stop.”

This tragedy exemplifies the growing threat faced by journalists in Gaza, where reporting the truth has become a perilous act. The attack also struck the building where Dr. Hassan Al-Shaer, medical director of Al-Shifa Hospital, resided—underscoring Israel’s dual strategy of dismantling the healthcare system while eliminating critical media voices.

Two days earlier, journalist Tamer Rabhi Al Za'anin was killed while covering a meeting with Gaza’s field hospital director. Witness testimonies confirmed that an Israeli special unit ambushed the ambulance he was traveling in, killing Al Za'anin and injuring photographer Ibrahim Abu Ushaiba and paramedic Bilal Barhoum. Dr. Marwan Al-Homs, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, was also shot and abducted during the incident. These events reflect a pattern of intentional targeting of both journalists and medical professionals in violation of their protected status under international law.

According to data from local and international organizations, 231 journalists have been killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and July 23, 2025. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 59,219 Palestinians have been killed in total during this period, including 1,066 civilians who were fatally shot while attempting to access humanitarian aid since May 27, 2025.

Escalating Attacks on Medical Personnel

WJWC further warns of a systematic Israeli campaign targeting hospital directors and frontline medical staff amid the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. This month alone, Israeli forces bombed the home of Al-Shifa’s medical director, abducted the director of field hospitals, and killed Dr. Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, along with his family on July 2, 2025.

According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, at least 1,590 medical workers have been killed since the beginning of the war, including specialists in critical medical fields. Another 362 health professionals have been detained by Israeli forces, among them Dr. Hossam Abu Safieh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was besieged by tanks in December 2024 and has since endured severe detention conditions, including torture and malnutrition. His lawyer confirmed on July 9 that he has lost over 40 kilograms in detention—a disturbing indicator of the abuse endured by detained medical staff.

The attacks have resulted in the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure:

·         94% of health facilities have been completely or partially destroyed.

·         80% of medical centers are out of service.

·         180 ambulances have been targeted and destroyed.

·         25 of 34 oxygen stations have been damaged or destroyed, leaving only 9 partially functioning.

·         All seven MRI machines in the Gaza Strip have been rendered inoperable, depriving residents of basic diagnostic services.

This destruction, coupled with the spread of disease and malnutrition, has led to a sharp rise in preventable deaths. In the past three days alone, 43 people—including children and infants—have reportedly died from hunger, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Grave Breaches of International Law

Women Journalists Without Chains affirms that these ongoing violations constitute serious breaches of the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The targeted killing of journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari and her family, alongside the widespread assaults on journalists and medical staff, amounts to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potentially genocide, all of which are crimes that are not subject to statutes of limitations.

These actions directly undermine the legal protections afforded to journalists and medical personnel during armed conflict and violate fundamental rights to life, health, information, and safety. The failure of the international community to enforce humanitarian law and ensure accountability has emboldened further violations and deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

In light of the above, Women Journalists Without Chains urgently calls on the international community, the United Nations, and relevant legal bodies to take immediate and concrete action by:

1.    Launching an independent international investigation into the killing of Walaa Al-Jaabari and her family, as well as into all attacks against journalists and medical personnel in Gaza.

2.    Referring the situation in Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and prosecuting Israeli military and political leaders responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

3.    Imposing a comprehensive embargo on arms exports and military technology to Israel, and halting all forms of intelligence and military cooperation that facilitate or contribute to ongoing violations.

4.    Providing international protection for journalists and medical personnel in Gaza, ensuring the safe passage of humanitarian aid, and lifting the siege, which has become a tool of collective punishment and population control.

5.    Supporting independent media production and documentation efforts within Gaza as a form of civilian resistance and a critical archive of human rights violations.

Women Journalists Without Chains reiterates its steadfast commitment to the protection of press freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. We urge the international community to act without delay to stop the atrocities in Gaza and uphold the principles of justice and accountability.