An Israeli airstrike has destroyed a media tent in Gaza, killing and injuring journalists and raising fresh allegations that Israel is deliberately targeting members of the press in its ongoing offensive.
According to footage taken at the site, journalists from local and international outlets were hit by the attack on a tent clearly marked as a press area. The tent was present in an area for live reporting and interviews and appeared to have no military presence in proximity.
Condemning the attack, the Committee to Protect Journalists referred to it as part of a “pattern of systematic targeting of journalists” in Gaza. Since the outbreak of war, dozens of journalists have been killed, thus raising the alarm of human rights groups.
Israel formally did not comment on this media tent incident and has maintained in the past its refusal to target journalists but only attacks “terrorist infrastructure.”
But the counter-claims feel that the precision and scale of attacks on the clearly marked press zones speak otherwise.
“This is not collateral damage. This is a message,” said a spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders. “Killing journalists is a way to control the narrative and hide what’s happening on the ground.” This bombardment of the media tent occurred when the independent reporting coming out of Gaza had never been more crucial, as communications remained limited and foreign journalists were effectively barred from entry.
The international community is calling for independent investigations into attacks on journalists, but no real actions have followed so far.
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