Al Jazeera Media Network has called on the international community and legal institutions to hold Israeli officials accountable and punish them for crimes committed against its correspondents and staff in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the killing of cameraman Ahmed Washah, said an Anadolu report.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the network condemned the killing of Washah, a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher, who was killed when an Israeli strike targeted a house in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The network said it would pursue legal action against those responsible.
Al Jazeera noted that Ahmed Washah’s brother, Mohammed Washah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was also killed in an Israeli strike two months ago. With Ahmed’s death, the number of Al Jazeera Media Network employees killed in Gaza since October 2023 has risen to 12.
The network denounced what it described as the continued targeting of its journalists and staff by Israeli forces and renewed its appeal for urgent international action. It urged relevant legal bodies to take practical measures to punish those responsible and establish mechanisms to deter attacks on journalists.
Al Jazeera reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing all available legal avenues to seek accountability while continuing its coverage of events in Gaza despite what it described as ongoing efforts to silence journalists and media workers.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, 262 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza on October 8, 2023. The office described the toll as one of the highest recorded globally for journalists working in conflict zones.
Earlier, the media office said the deaths reflected what it viewed as a systematic effort to suppress Palestinian voices and prevent information from reaching the international community.
The office also reported that 50 journalists have been detained under harsh conditions, which it said violate international protections afforded to media workers. Three journalists remain missing, raising concerns about their safety and whereabouts.
Additionally, more than 420 journalists have reportedly been injured during the conflict, including many who suffered severe wounds resulting in amputations and permanent disabilities, according to the media office.
