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The Israeli occupation forces have escalated their attacks on journalists in Gaza, with the killing of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Baalousha on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
This brings the total number of journalists killed by Israel to 195 since the start of its military assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
According to reports, a "Quadcopter" drone targeted Mohammed Baalousha, a correspondent for Al-Mashhad TV, in the Safatawi neighborhood in northern Gaza. The drone dropped a bomb directly on him, killing him instantly.
This marks the third journalist killed by Israeli forces in the past four days. On Friday, December 13, photojournalist Shadi Al-Salfity was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted civilians west of Gaza City. Earlier, on Wednesday, December 11, journalist Iman Al-Shanti, her husband, and their three children were killed in another Israeli attack. For more, (click here)
Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) condemned the killing of Baalousha and other journalists, describing these actions as a "deliberate strategy to silence witnesses to the atrocities in Gaza."
In a statement, the organization noted: "The targeting of journalists and individuals working in media will not succeed in hiding the visible evidence of genocide and its aftermath from the world."
WJWC's Nobel Peace Prize-winning head, Tawakkol Karman, expressed urgent condemnation of Israel’s systematic attacks, calling it horrifying that a journalist and his family were targeted simply for doing their jobs. She highlighted that this is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic campaign to silence free voices and obstruct the truth.
Journalists in Gaza have faced repeated and deliberate targeting during the ongoing conflict. Baalousha himself had been injured a year ago, in December 2023, when an Israeli sniper shot him shortly after he produced a shocking report. That report documented the decomposed bodies of premature babies left in Al-Nasr Hospital after Israeli forces forced the medical staff to evacuate. For more, (click here)
In October 2024, WJWC released a report titled "A Year of Tragedy: One Journalist Killed Every Two Days in Gaza," which detailed the systematic targeting of journalists since the Israeli assault began last year following the Hamas-led attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza on October 7, 2023.The targeting of journalists during armed conflicts is a clear violation of international law. For more, (click here)
The Geneva Conventions, specifically Additional Protocol I (Article 79), call for the protection of journalists in conflict zones. Furthermore, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19) guarantees freedom of expression, including journalists' rights to report on events.
Violence in Gaza has persisted for over 14 months, with Israeli forces accused of targeting civilians, including displaced individuals in schools, and destroying civilian properties. Advocacy organizations describe these actions as part of a broader campaign of genocide.
WJWC has called on the international community to hold Israel accountable and ensure the protection of journalists in conflict zones, emphasizing their critical role in documenting the truth despite immense personal danger.
