In May 11, 2022, the Palestinian report of Al-Jazeerah Shireen Abu Akleh was directly fatally shot by the Zionist regime’s armed forces while she was covering their assault on Jenin camp in the West Bank.
Ghufran Warasneh, a 31-year-old Palestinian woman who worked for local radios, was shot dead by the Zionist armed forces in the entrance of Al Aroub camp, north of Hebron, after she was released from prison.
Figures show that 72 reporters have been killed in the occupied Palestine by the Zionist armed forces since occupation in 1948, which is in contrast with all international rules and charters regarding press work in critical areas.
According to Palestinian sources, reporters from different media are faced with two threats: one from Zionist armed forces when they are committing crimes against Palestinians and one from extremist Zionists (Haredi Jews).
These reporters are also faced with another threat of being detained and prisoned which will be accompanied by torture and various types of mistreatment.
The Journalists Support Committee (JSC) recently announced that 21 reporters, including three women, are currently in the prisons of the Zionist regime.
The Zionist forces temporarily arrested Tasnim Muntaser Nassar reporter and his camera team last week.
Helmy al-Araji, the director of the Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights, said that Palestinian people have helped document these harassments and crimes to file a lawsuit in the International Criminal Court (ICC), noting that Israeli have a long history of killing reporters.
He called on all international organizations, including the United Nations, to fulfil their legal responsibilities regarding the war crimes committed by Israel and prosecute war criminals.
Al-Araji criticized international organizations for having double standard regarding Israeli’s war crimes and the global community’s silence whenever the Zionist regime is involved.
In the case of Abu Akleh, the United States asked the Zionist regime to investigate the incident and identify the shooter who killed her. Tel Aviv, however, has refused to take on responsibility.
“Obvious obfuscation, misdirection, and lies,” Palestinian political Hanan Ashrawi described the Zionist regime’s treatment of Abu Akleh case. “The Israeli army who's responsible for the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh has decided to exonerate itself. Disgusting,” she said.
She was responding to the latest Israeli response to the incident that admits “highly probable” soldier mistakenly killed Abu Akleh.
Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, said that evidence show that the Zionist forces killed Abu Akle and the Israeli army’s report was only a cover-up.
Moreover, the United Nations Human Rights Commission has confirmed that the Palestinian-American journalist was killed as a result of direct shooting by Israeli forces.
The Zionist regime’s crimes against journalists follows its crimes against children and infants imprisoned with their mums, historical massacres like what happened in Sabra and Shatila and other camps in Palestine and Lebanon, the bombardment of residential districts in Gaza and the West Bank, over 10-year blockade of Gaza and prevention of drug and fuel supply, burning Egyptian war prisoners alive in the 1967 war, and tens of other similar examples supported by Western countries, especially the US and Britain.
The Zionist regime has killed a journalist each years since the occupation of Palestine in 1948 and its leaders deserve being tried in international courts.
Edited by: Tohid Mahmoudpour
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