The Committee to Support Journalists organized today, Thursday, a solidarity stand during which candles are lit in memory of the martyrs of the press and the victims of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
During the stand that took place in front of the destroyed Al-Jalaa Tower, the participants demanded protection for journalists and the formation of an international investigation committee into the crimes committed against journalists.
The participants emphasized that Israel wanted, behind its targeting of press institutions, to write off the Palestinian narrative and not to transfer its crimes to world public opinion.
They stressed that the Palestinian media will continue to cover the events and convey the truth to expose the falsity of the occupation to the international community, despite what the “Israeli” machine has destroyed the headquarters and press tools.
The Journalists Support Committee documented the attacks during the Israeli aggression on Gaza, as they exceeded 100 attacks during eleven days, noting that hundreds of journalists whose offices were destroyed need care and protection, especially the journalists who work on the freelance piece.
The attacks were represented in the complete destruction of 59 media institutions by targeting towers and buildings containing press offices, in addition to the destruction of 22 apartments for Palestinian journalists, including partial and complete destruction, damage to five vehicles of press crews and the injury of 12 journalists.
For his part, the coordinator of the Committee to Support Journalists, Saleh Al-Masry, stressed during the stand, that despite the massive Israeli targeting of press institutions, production companies, printing houses, satellite channels and radio stations, the coverage remained continuous and the voice of Palestine remained loud and the slogan adopted by the journalists was that the coverage will continue.
Al-Masry stressed that the occupation deliberately targeted Palestinian journalists and Palestinian, Arab and international institutions in order to block the voice of truth, because it does not want to report the brutal aggression against unarmed civilians, indicating that this coincided with preventing foreign press from entering the Strip.
He called on all international institutions concerned with freedom of opinion and expression to open an urgent investigation into these crimes committed against journalists and media institutions, and we invite them to visit the Gaza Strip to closely examine the extent of the aggression that targeted Palestinian journalists.
Al-Masry called on the UN Security Council to implement Resolution 2222 on providing protection for journalists, and to hold Israel accountable for its violations against Palestinian media professionals.
He called on international and humanitarian organizations, led by the Red Cross and UNESCO, to provide press equipment, especially press jackets and shields, for press crews working in the field, pointing out that Israel has prevented their entry into the Gaza Strip for years.
He praised the role of the Arab and international media and activists on social media who made a great effort to expose the Israeli crimes that the Palestinian people were exposed to, until their tweets reached half of the world’s population, according to statistics.
For his part, the father of the martyr journalist Yusef Abu Hussein called on all parties concerned to hold the occupation accountable for killing his son, in cold blood.
Hajj Abu Mazen Yousef said that the Israeli planes targeted his son in his house in Gaza City, with three air strikes, without posing any significant danger, stressing the need to continue conveying the martyr’s media message and approach to expose Israel’s crimes.
In the same context, Salama Maarouf, official of the Government Information Office, confirmed that the Israeli warplanes depend on the course of the aggression on Gaza, targeting journalists, in order to disrupt their journalistic missions in covering the occupation and reporting crimes.
He pointed out that the Palestinian media remained steadfast and steadfast in front of the military occupation machine, and continued to cover field events and transmit the true story.
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