TEHRAN – The Israeli regime’s killing of Palestinian journalists in northern Gaza is facing growing international condemnation. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, stated: “We have always been very clear in condemning all killings of journalists. In Gaza and everywhere, media workers must be able to do their jobs freely and without harassment, intimidation, or fear of being targeted. Journalists must be granted free access to all areas of Gaza to report independently on the situation.”

The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, describing the Israeli military strike on their tent as a “grave breach of international humanitarian law.”

“Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists,” the office stated in a post on social media, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

“We call for immediate, safe, and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists,” It added. 

The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent reporters, was a deliberate effort to suppress coverage of the Israeli regime’s “atrocities,” said Ken Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch.

“This is not an accidental killing. This is not a journalist who happened to get caught in Israel’s indoctrinated bombardment of Palestinian civilians in general. This was a targeted killing,” Roth told Al Jazeera.

Amnesty International strongly condemned the killings, stating: “The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists by Israeli forces constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law. We are deeply saddened and heartbroken. Words cannot describe the grief we feel over the deliberate targeting of journalists. Anas al-Sharif dedicated his life to standing in front of the camera, exposing Israeli crimes against Palestinians, and documenting the truth so the world could witness it.

Reporters Without Borders condemned what it called the “acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of Anas al-Sharif and several of his colleagues. The media watchdog told AFP it “strongly and angrily condemns the acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of the Al Jazeera correspondent and other journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was “appalled” by the killings.
“Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.

“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” She added. 

CPJ also noted that in July it had urged the international community to protect al-Sharif, and reiterated that the Israeli occupation regime has provided no evidence to support its allegations against him.

Rights advocates echoed this, saying al-Sharif had been targeted for his frontline reporting and the Israeli regime’s claims lacked evidence.

The Press Freedom Foundation also condemned the killings and called for urgent international action to prevent further attacks on the press.

“Anyone angered by the recent horrific images of hunger and suffering in Gaza should know that without journalists risking their lives, you wouldn’t have seen these images or known about the atrocities your governments are funding,” said Seth Stern, the foundation’s advocacy director.

Stern went on to say: “That’s exactly why Israel targets and kills them in violation of international law. Now, perhaps more than at any time since the slaughter began, the world understands how vital this work is.” 

The former leader of the UK’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, described the killing of the journalists as “sickening beyond words” and “a desperate attempt to silence the truth about Israel’s ongoing crimes against humanity.”

“Shame on all those who empowered Israel to murder with impunity,” the member of parliament posted on social media.

Marc Botenga, a Belgian member of the European Parliament, wrote on social media that more journalists have lost their lives in Gaza than in any other modern war. “This is a war on the press, backed by Europe,” the MEP added. 

David Shoebridge, an Australian Green Party member, highlighted that the killings occurred while the Israeli regime continues to block foreign journalists from entering Gaza. “Now, with the killing of Anas al-Sharif, Muhammad Qreiqa, Ibrahim Zahir, and Muhammad Noufal, all of Al Jazeera’s team in Gaza have been killed by Israel,” he said.

“Every day they try to hide the truth of the genocide they are committing.” 

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate has strongly condemned the recent killing of journalists in Gaza, describing it as a “bloody crime” and a deliberate act of assassination. 

Hamas, in a statement, described the killings as a brutal crime that surpasses all boundaries of fascism and criminality.

“Following the criminal airstrike on the journalists’ tent at al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City, another group of journalists has joined the 232 journalists whom the Nazi-like occupying army has cold-bloodedly killed — the largest targeting of journalists in any war in history. We mourn the journalists martyred in this attack. Anas al-Sharif was an outstanding example of a free journalist, documenting the crime of food blockade and showing the world images of the famine imposed by the occupiers on Gaza’s people,” the resistance movement said. 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also issued a statement stating: “The deliberate targeting of the journalists’ tent at the entrance to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City by the Zionist occupiers is a heinous war crime committed in full view of the world. It is yet another proof of the absence of even the most basic moral and human values in the Israeli occupation army, which is the most savage and criminal military in the world.”