The Government Media Office in Gaza announced on Tuesday that the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli occupation forces since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has risen to 257, following the assassination of photojournalist Mahmoud Wadi, a dedicated media worker who had contributed to numerous local and international outlets.

In a statement, the office condemned in the strongest possible terms the ongoing policy of targeted killings and systematic assassinations carried out against Palestinian journalists—professionals whose only “crime” was documenting the daily atrocities inflicted on Gaza’s civilians.

International Community Urged to Break Its Silence

The Media Office called on the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab Journalists, and global press unions to unequivocally denounce Israel’s escalating crimes against media workers in the besieged enclave. It emphasized that journalists in Gaza have been deliberately hunted, bombed, and silenced in an unprecedented campaign to erase eyewitnesses to the genocide.

The statement held the Israeli occupation and its partners—chiefly the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France—fully responsible for what it described as “heinous and barbaric crimes” against Gaza’s press corps and civilian population. These countries, it said, have provided political and military cover for Israel’s killing machine, enabling what global rights groups increasingly classify as crimes against humanity.

The Media Office again urged the international community to take immediate action, activate accountability mechanisms at the International Criminal Court, and pressure Israel to halt its genocidal war. It stressed the urgent need for meaningful protection of journalists who continue to be targeted in their homes, offices, and displacement shelters.

44 Journalists Killed Inside Displacement Tents: ‘No Place Is Safe in Gaza’

A report released by the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate revealed that 44 journalists were killed inside displacement tents—areas designated as “safe zones”—bringing the total number of Palestinian media workers killed since October 2023 to over 270.

Many of the slain journalists had sought shelter near hospitals, UN-run schools, and aid centers—zones protected under international humanitarian law—yet were still struck by Israeli airstrikes or sniper fire.

The report highlights a systematic Israeli campaign to dismantle Gaza’s media infrastructure, noting the destruction of press offices, communication towers, and the intentional killing of journalists in their residences, workplaces, and temporary shelters.

Targeting Journalists Is a War Crime, Syndicate Says

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate underscored that the targeting of journalists is a clear war crime under Article 79 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which guarantees civilian protection for media workers.

Investigators confirmed that no military activity occurred in or around the tents that were struck—undermining Israeli attempts to justify these killings as collateral damage. The report emphasized that the use of precision missiles against journalists and their families signals premeditated intent to silence witnesses and eliminate documentation of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Demand for International Accountability

The Syndicate called for the creation of an independent international commission to investigate Israel’s targeting of journalists, along with the urgent activation of ICC war-crimes mechanisms.

It appealed to UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists to cooperate in establishing protected corridors for displaced media workers and to maintain a comprehensive legal archive for future judicial proceedings.

As Gaza’s journalists continue to work under bombardment—with cameras, not weapons—the report warns that their elimination is part of a broader strategy to blind the world to the ongoing genocide. (ILKHA)