Journalists in Gaza sound the alarm about the danger to them

2024-02-13 17:58:29, Kosova & Bota CNA

Experts say that the Israel-Hamas war is the most dangerous conflict for the media in recent times. As VOA's regional correspondents report, journalists in Gaza say the high death toll makes their reporting vital, but as more die in their ranks and the war expands, the ability to report is shrinking rapidly. .

Many journalists inside Gaza now live in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where the population has increased more than fivefold since the war began in October. Gazans continue to flock to the city as Israeli armed forces move south.

Journalists who work here say that any article could be the last, as could any trip to buy food or fuel, a visit to the hospital to search for the missing, the injured or to search for the bodies of the victims.

"The situation in Gaza is very difficult. A person can be killed reporting any news or shooting," says Mortasem Mortaja, Palestinian journalist.

The number of journalists killed in more than four months of war is estimated to be higher than in any other war in recent times.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 85 deaths, while the United Nations says 122 journalists have been killed. Journalists inside Gaza say the number has risen to 130 since the last time a figure was released.

Moatasim Moshtaha says the increasing difficulty of reporting from the territory has made any bit of information they can publish vital for the world to understand the war from the perspective of the people in Gaza.

"By restricting journalists they can stop them from reporting the news professionally. But when they kill a journalist, it also increases our determination to always give the truth," says Mr. Moshtaha.

The Israeli government has banned the international press from entering Gaza. In December the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem petitioned Israel's Supreme Court for access to the territory beyond travel controlled by the country's military.

The court rejected the request, saying it would cause an unnecessary burden on the Israel Defense Forces.

Inside Gaza, journalists say their ability to report is rapidly diminishing.

"It is a war from all directions against journalists and the entire community. The Israeli occupation often cuts off communications as part of their attacks, shrinking our ability to get information from the limited places we were forced to flee in the north," says Islam Ezzanoun, who works for a major Palestinian TV channel.

The Israeli government has repeatedly said it does not target journalists or other civilians, a claim that international rights groups and Palestinian journalists question./ VOA