Al Jazeera Media Network has strongly condemned the killing of its cameraman Mohammad Salama in an Israeli attack on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, denouncing what it described as a systematic campaign by Israel to silence journalists and bury the truth about its ongoing war crimes in Gaza.

The airstrike on the hospital on Sunday killed more than 20 civilians, including patients and medical staff, as well as five journalists. Among the slain were Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama, Reuters photojournalist Hussam al-Masri, Associated Press and Independent Arabia photographer Mariam Abu Daqqa, and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha.

“This atrocity occurred without distinction between those under medical care and those holding cameras to document the crimes,” Al Jazeera said in its statement, stressing that the deliberate targeting of journalists is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

With Salama’s death, the number of Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 has risen to 10. In total, more than 240 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces during the nearly two-year war, making Gaza the deadliest conflict for media professionals in modern history.

Al Jazeera accused Israel of intentionally assassinating journalists in order to suppress independent reporting and conceal the realities of genocide, famine, and widespread destruction across the besieged enclave. “The Israeli occupation forces have directly targeted and assassinated journalists as part of a systematic campaign to silence the truth,” the network said.

It added that such attacks, which violate the Rome Statute and the Geneva Conventions, amount to war crimes. Both international treaties prohibit the deliberate targeting of civilians and journalists in conflict zones.

Al Jazeera emphasized that Israel’s actions are driven by a “prevailing sense of impunity” and warned that unless the international community acts decisively, the killing of journalists will continue unchecked.

“Despite relentless targeting, Al Jazeera remains resolute in providing live coverage of the Israeli genocide in Gaza for the past 23 months,” the statement added, noting that Israel continues to bar foreign correspondents from entering the Strip in an effort to block independent coverage.

The network called on governments, press freedom organizations, and the United Nations to take urgent measures to protect journalists, civilians, and the fundamental right to information.

“The blood of our martyred journalists in Gaza has not yet dried,” the statement concluded, “before Israel committed yet another crime.” (ILKHA)