Observers do not see any explanation to IDF targeting Palestinian journalists and their families. These journalists cover Israeli forces’s atrocities against Palestinian people. From Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Aqilah’s assassination to its photographer Samir Abu Daqqah. (an Al Jazeera cameraman was left to bleed on the ground after an Israeli airstrike targeted a UN- run school used by refugees in Khan Yunis, Gaza on Friday 15-12-2023.) It appears to be nothing more than an attempt to conceal its crimes and facts on the ground.
More than 90 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza
Since October 7, but Aljazeera Journalists are on its special target.
In May 2022 Shireen Abu Aqilah was covering Israeli forces’ eminent attack on Jenin Camp in North West Bank when they decided to silence her with a fatal gunshot. Meanwhile, “Wail Al Duhduh” was reporting live on the air, describing the devastation and brutal war launched by Israeli forces on Gaza. In an attempt to neutralize him, they targeted him with a missile destroying a house where his family sought refuge. Al-Duhduh lost his wife, daughter, son and grandson in the air strike carried by Israeli forces.
According to analysts, Israel could not tolerate divergent media coverage from major Western outlets. Instead, they embraced the false narrative propagated by the Israeli forces, accusing Palestinians for committing crimes against women and beheading Israeli children during the execution of the “Al-Aqsa Flood operation” at the end of the initial phase of the operation.
According to Aljazeera, on Monday (11-12-2023) an air strike targeted the family of its journalist Anas Sharif in Jabalia refugee camp, resulting in the death of journalist’s 90 year old father. As reported by Al Jazeera on November 22, 2023, the journalist, Al Sharif, had received threats from an Israeli military officer via phone.
It is evident that Al Jazeera is the sole media outlet whose journalists are courageously reporting from the frontlines of the Gaza conflict without succumbing to fear or external pressure. They are dedicated to convey the ground reality of the situation to the world, a task that has not been well-received by the Israeli force.
It is high time journalist covering Gaza receive adequate protection. The international community must take decisive action against the brutalities inflicted upon journalists in Gaza by the IDF. The United States must exert pressure on the Israeli government to ensure accountability for these ruthless actions, as the world deserves to know the reality of what is happening in Gaza.
Dr Maqsood ul Hasan Qasmi -(Writer is a prominent Islamic scholar, he has PhD. On Palestinian issue)
