Petition urges halt to targeting of Gaza reporters, demands independent probe into deaths
A group of 131 Israeli journalists have signed a petition demanding an immediate end to Israel’s targeting of Palestinian reporters in Gaza and calling for an independent investigation into the killings of media workers during the war.
The petition, titled “Journalists Call to End the War,” condemned a systematic assault on press freedom in Gaza.
“We are horrified by the continued killing of journalists in Gaza,” the signatories wrote, adding that those still alive “work under bombardment, without homes, power or internet, and often without food for themselves or their families.”
The journalists cited figures from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists showing that 168 reporters have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Gaza’s Government Media Office has put the overall death toll of journalists at 247 since October 2023.
The petition accused the Israeli government of deliberately blocking media access by preventing foreign correspondents from entering Gaza, despite repeated appeals to the Supreme Court by the Foreign Press Association.
It also expressed solidarity with Palestinian journalists and demanded accountability.
“We call on our government to stop these attacks immediately and to allow a full, independent investigation into the deaths of our colleagues,” the statement said.
Beyond the battlefield, the signatories criticized Israeli newsrooms for failing to cover the humanitarian toll of the war.
“This militarized framing, justified as serving the public interest, denies Israeli society the information it needs to understand reality,” the petition read. The journalists said military censorship, coupled with self-censorship in many outlets, has severely damaged press freedom.
Some media, they warned, have even provided space for “explicit calls to commit war crimes and genocide, alongside relentless racist incitement.”
“We believe our human duty is to demand an immediate end to this war, a deal to release captives, and the start of rebuilding Gaza, and rebuilding our lives. We also call for long-term solutions based on peace, equality, security and freedom for everyone in this land.”
The appeal coincided with a global campaign launched Monday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and advocacy group Avaaz, with media outlets in 50 countries darkening front pages, displaying banners on news websites, and broadcasting solidarity messages to denounce Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza.
Israel has killed over 63,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
