“I condemn the killing of journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Al-Khaldi and name for a radical and clear investigation,” UNESCO’s Director-Common, Audrey Azoulay, stated in a statement on Tuesday.
5 of the six labored for the influential Qatari-based media group, Al Jazeera: Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh had been on air correspondents, whereas Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa labored as digicam operators. Mohammed Al-Khaldi was a contract photojournalist.
They had been reportedly killed by an Israeli assault on a tent utilized by media personnel on the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza Metropolis.
Blatant, premeditated assault
The Israeli Protection Forces (IDF) alleged that 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif was a serving Hamas operative. Al Jazeera strongly denies this, describing the assault as an “assassination” and “one more blatant and premeditated assault on press freedom.”
The UN Human Rights Council-appointed impartial professional on freedom of expression issued a statement on 31 July denouncing an Israeli navy spokesperson’s “repeated threats” and “unfounded accusations” towards Mr. Anas Al-Sharif, flagging it as “a blatant try and endanger his life and silence his reporting” in Gaza.
Condemning the attack within the strongest doable phrases on Tuesday, two particular rapporteurs described the killings as “an try and silence reporting on the continuing genocide and hunger marketing campaign” in Gaza.
“It’s outrageous that the Israeli military dares to first launch a marketing campaign to smear Anas Al-Sharif as Hamas with the intention to discredit his reporting after which kill him and his colleagues for talking the reality to the world,” the specialists stated, demanding a right away investigation into the killings and full entry to worldwide media, which Israel at the moment bars from getting into Gaza.
Particular Rapporteurs and different impartial specialists are appointed by and report frequently to the Human Rights Council. They work of their particular person capability, will not be UN workers and obtain no fee for his or her work.
Violation of worldwide legislation
UNESCO chief Ms. Azoulay harassed that focusing on journalists reporting on conflicts is unacceptable and violates worldwide legislation.
She additionally reiterated her name to respect UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which was unanimously adopted in 2015 to guard journalists, media professionals and related personnel in battle conditions.
Since October 2023, UNESCO has reported no less than 62 journalists and media employees killed within the line of obligation in Palestine, excluding deaths in circumstances unrelated to their work, whereas OHCHR reviews that no less than 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in the identical time-frame.
