The Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) continues to kill and target journalists and their families following the resumption of its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for over 18 months now. By this, Israel intends to kill the eyewitnesses to the crime of genocide it is committing at the world’s watch.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) believes that the ongoing targeting and killing of journalists, along with the significant surge in the number of journalists killed, undoubtedly prove that the killings are deliberate and intentional. Moreover, the killing of journalists and their families is intended to intimidate them, constituting an integral part of the crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
In continuation of their crimes, at approximately 01:15 on Tuesday, 01 April 2025, an Israeli drone fired two missiles at al-Bardawil family house in al-Emirati neighborhood in western Khan Yunis. As a result, Journalist Mohammed Saleh Mohammed al-Bardawil (35), Al Aqsa Radio presenter, his wife, Islam ‘Ali Hasan al-Bardawil (29), and their three children Saleh (3), Eman (10), and Lama (8) were killed.
The number of journalists killed by IOF since 07 October 2023 has risen to 209, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. This war has taken a record toll since the recording of journalist fatalities started in 1992. Among those killed were 13 female journalists. Meanwhile, the majority of journalists were killed in Israeli warplane and drone airstrikes, and the remaining were shot dead by Israeli snipers. Most journalists were killed alongside their families in targeted attacks on their homes, while others were killed in indiscriminate bombings throughout the ongoing genocide. Some journalists were directly targeted, while others were killed while on duty. Additionally, 185 journalists have been injured under various circumstances during the aggression. Moreover, a large number of social media activists have been targeted by the IOF, who systematically incite against them and threaten to kill them if they do not remain silent.
PCHR asserts that the targeting of journalists intends to isolate the victims and prevent the documentation of Israel’s genocidal acts against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Thus, PCHR calls on the international community to openly condemn the targeting of journalists, to exert pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to immediately stop these attacks, and to urgently provide international protection for civilians, including journalists, in the Gaza Strip.
PCHR calls on the international community to pressure the occupying power to immediately stop targeting journalists and to take immediate action to provide international protection for civilians, including journalists, in the Gaza Strip. PCHR also urges the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop its crimes, comply with the rules of international law, and provide protection for civilians. PCHR also calls upon the international journalists’ organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists, to act urgently to push towards holding Israel accountable for the killing and targeting of journalists in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
