The horrendous massacre of media persons

An international outrage has sparked following the brutal killing of six media persons, reporting for various international news agencies and channels, in an Israel bomb attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Monday, August 25. Among those killed were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, AP freelancer Mariam Dagga, and Al Jazeera contributor Mohammed Salama, Ahmed Abu Aziz who worked for Middle East Eye (MEE) and photographer Moaz Abu Taha. Immediately after launching the war on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the Zionist state completely banned all media persons from outside. This forced international news agencies and news channels like the BBC and Al Jazeera to rely solely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza to obtain war news. Thus, Palestinian media activists, bravely committing themselves risking their lives to their mission, began exposing the one-sided and untrue war reports of Israeli news agencies which they were pursuing by way of the adage that "the truth is the first to be killed in any war." Without water to drink, bread to eat, and nowhere to sleep, while warding off the bombardment and gunfire, they brought to the world the glimpses of the Zionist genocide. These media persons in most unrivaled bravery in history brought to the world that the death toll in the Gaza Strip so far has reached 62,744, including women, children, and civilians. These journalists at the cost of their lives brought out the reliable data that more than 80 percent of buildings in Gaza, including hospitals, schools, offices, commercial establishments, and homes, have been destroyed in Israel attack. As a result, Israel has already killed more than 200 journalists. The Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel proportionately suffered the most casualties.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, non-profit organization in the United States, has publicly stated that Israel is engaged in a brutal, deliberate, and inhumane campaign to silence and kill journalists. The committee also accuses the Israeli military of intimidating and directly killing Palestinian journalists. On the other hand, right-wing governments, corporate media and their minions are directly copying the unadulterated lies spread by the Zionist media. There are governments in the neighbourhood of Israel that have suppressed honest news from Palestine. When considering the fact that there are governments that banned even praying for the martyrs in Gaza, one will realize how formidable the Yankee-Zionist sphere of influence is. The OIC, an alliance of Muslim countries, has condemned the massacre of media persons, calling it a war crime and a serious attack on press freedom. Qatar said that the crime against its Palestinian brothers was a flagrant violation of international law. Countries including Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Britain, Spain, Germany, France, and Canada, have strongly condemned the incident alongside stating that such actions are unacceptable. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the massacre of Palestinians and called for an investigation. Having found no way to justify the act in the midst of global outcry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded that Israel ‘deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, adding that ‘values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians’, announcing that the military was conducting a ‘thorough investigation’. The prime minister's response comes amid reports that Israel's military chief has called for an immediate end to the war. As the nations around the world raised their voices and even Israel also responded, the Narendra Modi government has summed India’s response in silence. Remember, the world once listened to India with respect being a strong proponent of the non-aligned policy and a close friend of the Palestinian people!