The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) has called on Israel to stop its repeated killing of journalists in besieged Gaza.
In a joint statement Thursday, the IPI's global executive board, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa as well as leading editors, journalists, and publishers from 20 countries, condemned the targeting of Palestinian journalists.
They emphasized the urgent need for Israel to abide by the rules of war and ensure the protection of civilians and media personnel.
"This unprecedented attack on journalist safety and press freedom cannot be tolerated," the statement said.
"At least 80 journalists have now been killed in Gaza and southern Lebanon since October, marking the highest number of journalist casualties in a conflict zone since the founding of IPI in 1950," it added.
The statement underscores the imperative for Israel to adhere to international laws governing armed conflict, which mandate the protection of journalists and civilians.
It calls for a transparent and credible investigation into all instances of journalist killings by Israeli forces, highlighting that targeting journalists constitutes a war crime.
"We are raising our collective voice to protest this unbearable loss of life and to demand an immediate end to the bombardment of journalists," it added.
In addition, the IPI urged Israel to grant international journalists access to Gaza, allowing them to report freely and independently on the situation unfolding in the region.
Climbing toll
One more journalist was killed in the Gaza Strip from Israeli attacks, Al-Aqsa Radio said Friday, bringing the total number of journalists killed since Oct. 7 to 120, according to local authorities.
The latest death was Iyad Ahmad al-Rawag, a presenter on Sawt al-Aqsa Radio, accompanied by a number of his family members, killed "as a result of the Zionist occupation targeting his house in the Al-Hasayna area in the Nuseirat (refugee) camp," Al-Aqsa Radio said in a statement.
More Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the last three months than the number killed around the world in both 2021 and 2022.
According to local and international data, 109 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021 and 2022, while at least 120 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7.