Women Journalists Without Chains vehemently condemns the assassination of Palestinian journalist Wafa al-Udaini in Gaza and Syrian broadcaster Safaa Ahmad in Damascus.

Both were tragically killed in Israeli airstrikes on September 30 and October 1.

For over a year, the Israeli occupation has persistently targeted and killed journalists. According to the monitoring unit of Women Journalists Without Chains, 172 journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip alone since October 2023. These actions constitute a blatant violation of international conventions that safeguard journalists in conflict zones and amount to war crimes. The international community must unite to hold Israeli leaders accountable.

Targeting journalists in the line of duty is not an isolated incident; it marks a disturbing escalation in efforts to silence free voices and obstruct the flow of truth. This systematic suppression undermines the foundations of democracy and accountability, jeopardizing the essential role that journalists play in illuminating the realities of conflict and fostering informed discourse.

On the morning of September 30, the Israeli occupation targeted the home of Wafa al-Udaini in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, resulting in the tragic deaths of Wafa, her husband Munir Attia al-Udaini, and their two children, Tamim and Balsam. Wafa was a prominent voice documenting and sharing the violations and humanitarian crises in Gaza through social media. Renowned as the “icon of foreign media,” she dedicated her efforts to exposing the crimes of the Israeli occupation against civilians.

According to the monitoring unit of WJWC, the assassination of Wafa al-Udaini brings the total number of female journalists killed in Israeli attacks during the first year of the war to 19 in the Gaza Strip. This staggering figure is both horrific and unprecedented in the region’s history.

At dawn on October 1, Syrian TV anchor Safaa Ahmad was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Mezzeh district of Damascus. Thirty minutes before her death, she posted on her Facebook page, “Loud sounds are heard in the sky of Damascus.”

In offering condolences to the families of the two journalists and their colleagues in Palestine and Syria, Women Journalists Without Chains emphasizes that these acts constitute war crimes. Those responsible—including Israeli government leaders and direct perpetrators—must be held accountable in international courts. Journalists are protected under the Geneva Convention, and any intentional targeting of them is considered a crime against humanity.

Women Journalists Without Chains urges the international community and United Nations bodies to take immediate action against Israeli brutality towards the press and the assassination of journalists by:

• Conducting prompt investigations into war crimes and holding Israeli officials accountable, regardless of their positions.
• Implementing stringent measures to ensure the protection of journalists in war and conflict zones.
• Imposing international sanctions on entities that target journalists and use violence to silence them.

Furthermore, it calls on human rights and media organizations to stand in solidarity with journalists in the Middle East who are being directly targeted amid the ongoing conflict. It emphasizes the importance of establishing the right to access information in conflict zones without fear of violence or death.

Released by:

Women Journalists Without Chains

October 1, 2024