On Sunday, five journalists working for Al-Jazeera, were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Journalist groups have condemned the killings in the strongest terms:
- David Walmsley, president of the World Editors Forum, said: “We condemn the targeted killings of these broadcast journalists who, despite facing insurmountable odds, continued to get the story out. Telling stories should not be a death sentence.”
- Laura Davison, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “Journalists have specific rights under international law and once again these rights have been violated while other civilians have been killed as collateral damage. Israel has denied foreign reporters access to Gaza while systematically discrediting, targeting and killing local journalists. These are the activities of a government that does not want the world to witness its actions.”
- Sara Qudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said: “Israel is murdering the messengers. Israel wiped out an entire news crew. It has made no claims that any of the other journalists were terrorists. That’s murder. Plain and simple. It is no coincidence that the smears against al-Sharif – who has reported night and day for Al Jazeera since the start of the war – surfaced every time he reported on a major development in the war, most recently the starvation brought about by Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into the territory.”
- The International News Safety Institute said in a statement: “We call on all governments, international bodies and media organisations to condemn these killings unequivocally, and to demand accountability for those who order and execute such attacks. There can be no press freedom, no truth and no justice if journalists are murdered for doing their jobs. When state actors assassinate journalists, it is not simply a crime, it is an attack on the truth itself.”
- Anthony Bellanger, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, said: “After a smear campaign against Gaza’s journalists, Israel has killed five Al Jazeera staff in a tent housing journalists. The deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime and Israeli leaders must be held accountable for their heinous actions. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this deliberate killing of our colleagues and we stand in solidarity with all staff at Al Jazeera and our colleagues working in Gaza under such unacceptable circumstances.”
- Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters without Borders (RSF), said: “RSF strongly condemns the killing of six media professionals by the Israeli army, once again carried out under the guise of terrorism charges against a journalist... RSF calls on the UN Security Council to meet urgently on the basis of Resolution 2222 of 2015 on the protection of journalists in times of armed conflict in order to stop this carnage.”
- Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said: “The Society is absolutely appalled by the deaths of Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues in Gaza who appear to have been deliberately targeted while reporting from within Gaza city. Journalism is not a crime. It is a fundamental pillar of democracy and accountability, particularly in times of conflict. The deliberate targeting of journalists is abhorrent and reporters must be free to carry out their vital role without the threat of violence or intimidation.”
According to the CPJ, in 2024, 103 journalists were killed around the world, 361 imprisoned and 67 missing. In 2025, 56 journalists have been killed to date.
You can catch James Evelegh’s regular column in the InPubWeekly newsletter, which you can register to receive here.
