Israel fears journalists lifting lid on Gaza’s reality
By Emad Abshenas
Middle East affairs analyst
On Monday, in its latest act of brutality, the Israeli occupation army carried out a targeted attack on a press tent outside the main gate of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing several journalists on the spot. The targeted killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip is nothing new. In its drive to block coverage of the truth, expose the scale of its crimes, and silence the voice of reality, the regime has so far killed 238 journalists in the Palestinian enclave.
In recent years, Israel has stopped at nothing when it comes to crimes against the Palestinian people. In this latest war alone, it has committed atrocities in various parts of Gaza that, under international law and norms, are entirely unacceptable. These crimes are unfolding while international bodies turn a blind eye and remain silent. This silence has only emboldened Israel to press ahead with the massacre of Palestinians, effectively giving it a free hand to commit more atrocities.
Thanks to Washington’s protective umbrella, Israel feels no qualms about launching direct attacks on journalists. In doing so, the United States becomes, in effect, an accomplice in these crimes.
What drives Israel’s fear of journalists—and its willingness to commit war crimes against them—is the fact that reporters on the ground in Gaza are putting out images and reports of starvation and the appalling humanitarian conditions there. Determined to prevent such reporting and scare off the press, Israel repeatedly resorts to these attacks to sow fear among journalists.
Monday’s assault on the press tent, in which several reporters were killed, was Israel’s way of sending a chilling message: even if such crimes are committed in broad daylight and before the eyes of the entire world, no international authority is capable of stopping it.
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