The Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued a report documenting the extent of the targeting of journalists during the ongoing Israeli retreat on the Gaza Strip .
The following is the text of the report, as received by Sawa Agency:
Targeting journalists is a feature of the ongoing aggression on Gaza. The occupation forces destroy (17) press offices and injure (3) journalists.
- The Israeli occupation forces have targeted journalists and press institutions operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory with intense bombardment during their continuous aggression on the Gaza Strip for five days. Over the past few days, these attacks resulted in the destruction of (17) press offices, including (4) media companies, and wounding (3) journalists with various injuries, while covering the events of the aggression on Gaza, despite their wearing uniforms and distinctive signs.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights affirms that journalists and press and media institutions enjoy special protection as civilians in times of war in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law, and that their presence in dangerous conflict areas may not be used as an excuse or justification for targeting them. The Center also affirms that targeting journalists constitutes an organized crime to silence the voice of the press and to prevent it from covering the crimes committed by the occupation forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
- The Center calls on the international community and international press institutions to take immediate action to force the occupation authorities to stop their crimes against Palestinian civilians, including journalists.
According to the Center´s investigations, at approximately 9:00 pm on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, Israeli warplanes began bombing the 11-storey Al-Jawhara Tower, located at the intersection of Al-Galaa Street in Al-Wehda, in the center of Gaza City, and the bombing continued until 2:20 pm At dawn on Wednesday, 8 missiles targeted him. The bombing caused severe damage to all the apartments inside, and the tower was threatened to collapse. The tower contains residential apartments, offices and institutions, including press and media institutions, which have been severely affected, including the National Information Agency. Palestine Newspaper; Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper; Al-Arabi channel; Iraqi directional satellite channel; Al-Nujaba Satellite TV Syrian satellite Kufic channel; Kingdom Channel; Local APA Agency, Sabq24 Agency, Media Forum; Gate 24. The Al-Jazeera office near the Al-Jawhara building was also damaged, including shattering the windows of the office windows and external doors.
On the morning of yesterday, Thursday, May 13th, the occupation warplanes bombed Al-Walid building, in the center of Gaza City, with four missiles, completely destroying it. The building, consisting of seven floors, includes 17 apartments, containing offices and institutions, among which is a media production company owned by the journalist, Moamen Qureiqa.
Also at approximately 6:30 pm yesterday, Israeli warplanes fired 10 missiles at the 14-storey Al-Shorouk Tower, located on Omar Al-Mukhtar Street in Al-Rimal neighborhood. The bombing completely destroyed the tower. The tower includes media and press offices, which are: Al-Hayat newspaper; Al Aqsa Network (radio, visual, satellite); Taif Media Foundation; And the pmp company, which provides media production services to many media organizations such as Russia Today, Dubai Satellite TV, and others.
Yesterday, three journalists were injured while covering the events of the intense Israeli bombing of the Bedouin village, in the northern Gaza Strip, and they are: Mustafa Hassouna; Photographer of the Turkish Anatolia Agency; Muhammad Al-Aloul; Photographer of the Turkish Anadolu Agency; And Dawood Abu Al-Kass, and described their wounds as moderate and minor.
In the same context, 8 journalists were injured while covering the events in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on May 10, most of them with rubber bullets. .
It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation forces have launched large-scale air strikes and intense artillery shelling throughout the Gaza Strip, five days ago, killing (122) people, including (31) children and (20) women, and (542) wounded. Among them (158) children and (121) women. These raids also destroyed dozens of residential and commercial buildings, which are homes belonging to Palestinian citizens and others that are the headquarters of Palestinian institutions, headquarters of the Ministry of Interior, commercial and economic institutions, in addition to sites belonging to the Palestinian resistance factions.
The Palestinian Center strongly condemns these crimes that target journalists and workers for news agencies, press and media institutions, and who enjoy special protection such as civilians in wartime in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law, it:
- Confirms that these practices are an extension of the grave violations that the occupation forces continue to commit against Palestinian civilians, And evidence of the Israeli contempt for international humanitarian law, especially the Protocol Annex I to the Geneva Conventions.
- Reiterates its call on the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 relating to the protection of civilians in times of war to fulfill their obligations under the convention to ensure its respect and effective intervention in order to stop the grave violations of the rules of the convention by the Israeli occupation forces.
- Calls on all international press organizations and institutions to continue monitoring what journalists are exposed to in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to exert all efforts at the international level to ensure that pressure is exerted on the government of the Occupying Power to stop attacks on journalists and press institutions.
The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression calls for immediate intervention to stop the attacks of the occupation forces against Palestinian journalists and press institutions.
