Doha: Journalists are increasingly becoming direct targets in conflict zones rather than mere witnesses, amid an unprecedented rise in violations against them while the world marks the World Press Freedom Day under escalating risks to media workers.
According to Qatar News Agency, attacks by Israeli occupation forces against journalists have intensified in Palestine and Lebanon, as well as during incursions into southern Syria. The direct targeting of journalists has escalated alongside the expansion of Israeli military operations in the region, to the point that it has become a deliberate pattern. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) highlights Israel as the government entity most responsible for the deliberate killing of journalists.
Data from the Committee, based on a long-term methodology, shows that Israeli forces have killed five journalists and media workers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in addition to eight journalists and media workers in Lebanon since the beginning of this year. Various other violations have also been recorded, including raids on their homes, interrogations, and the use of live ammunition and tear gas against Syrian journalists during military incursions.
Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for CPJ, Sara Qudah, affirmed that the Committee documented 47 cases of journalists killed worldwide last year due to their work, 81 percent of whom were killed by Israel.
In an exclusive interview with QNA, Qudah said that since Oct. 7, 2023, the Committee has verified that at least 64 journalists and media workers were directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces in retaliation for their work. She added that investigations are ongoing into many other suspected cases of deliberate targeting, noting that over a 22-year period, the Committee has documented the killing of at least 20 journalists by Israeli army fire, describing it as a "deadly pattern."
She pointed out that severe restrictions imposed on Gaza, including Israel's ban on foreign media access, the destruction of communications infrastructure, mass displacement, and widespread casualties, have made verification of information extremely difficult. She suggested that the total number of deliberate killings is likely much higher, especially given the destruction of substantial evidence, which may mean the true number of deliberately targeted Palestinian journalists in Gaza may never be known.
The Committee's documentation shows that Israel has killed eight journalists and media workers in Lebanon this year alone, Qudah said, confirming the motives behind the killing of four of them and classifying them as victims of deliberate assassination by Israeli fire.
In Syria, particularly in Quneitra and areas near the occupied Golan Heights, the Committee documented incidents involving journalists who reported that Israeli forces obstructed their work, detained and interrogated media workers, and in some cases destroyed their equipment or forced them to leave the areas they were covering, Qudah added.
Qudah stressed that the prevailing culture of complete impunity enjoyed by Israel is a direct factor in the continued targeting of journalists without deterrence, alongside evasion of international legal obligations and the failure to conduct transparent and credible investigations.
In Lebanon, Lebanese Minister of Information Paul Morcos said that nine journalists were killed in direct attacks by Israeli entity over the past two months, with three others injured.
Morcos told QNA that from October 2023 to January, 20 Lebanese journalists were killed by occupation fire. He noted that the ministry has initiated legal action to compile a case on the targeting of journalists, coordinate with the United Nations and international rapporteurs, and submit formal complaints to international bodies, including UNESCO and the Human Rights Council.
He added that the ministry has intensified meetings with international officials from the United Nations, the European Union, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), aiming to build international pressure to halt these violations.
Morcos also highlighted coordination with the Bar Association and Journalists Syndicate to strengthen the legal case being prepared, including drafting a legal study aimed at prosecuting Israel over the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure across Lebanese cities and towns, and exploring ways to enhance accountability and ensure necessary protections for journalists.
The Lebanese Minister of Information condemned the repeated and direct targeting of journalists by Israeli forces while performing their professional duties, most recently the killing of journalists Zeinab Faraj and Amal Khalil. He stressed that such acts constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols, which guarantee the protection of journalists during armed conflicts.
In conclusion, he called for an independent and transparent international investigation into these crimes and for deterrent measures against Israel to stop the targeting of journalists, affirming that such attacks will not deter Lebanese journalism from fulfilling its role in conveying the truth, while placing responsibility on the international community.