Number of journalists martyred in Gaza rises to 210 after the killing of journalist Faqaawi

GAZA  (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Government Media Office in Gaza (GMO) announced on Monday that the number of journalist martyrs has risen to 210 since the start of the genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip following the martyrdom of journalist Helmi al-Faqaawi in an Israeli strike targeting a tent for journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

The GMO reported that the martyred journalist, Hilmi al-Faqaawi, was working for the Palestine Today News Agency, and was martyred while performing his media duty in covering the crimes of the occupation.

The same Israeli shelling also resulted in the martyrdom of the young man Yousef al-Khazandar, and the injury of nine other journalists with varying injuries. All were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The injured journalists were identified as Hassan Eslaih, Ahmed Mansour, Ahmed Al-Agha, Mohammed Fayek, Abdullah Al-Attar, Ihab Al-Bardini, Mahmoud Awad, Majed Qdeih and Ali Eslaih.

The GMO condemned in the strongest terms the crime of targeting journalists, calling on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and all media frameworks and institutions around the world to condemn these ongoing crimes and to work to provide international protection for Palestinian journalists.

The GMO held the Israeli occupation, along with the US administration and European countries, especially Britain, Germany and France, fully responsible for the crime, stressing that the international community’s silence on these violations promotes their continuation.

It also called on international organizations concerned with press freedom and human rights to take practical steps to hold Israel accountable, to bring Israeli war criminals to the International Court of Justice, to stop the aggression against journalists, and to ensure their protection while performing their professional and humanitarian duty.