Journalists killed in airstrike in Gaza
Five Al Jazeera journalists, including 28-year-old correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. In their statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described Al-Sharif as a "terrorist posing as a journalist for Al Jazeera". For commentators, the attack on journalists marks the crossing of another red line in the Gaza war.
Protecting reporters is crucial
El Periódico de Catalunya calls for journalists covering wars to be better protected:
“Al-Sharif and his colleagues did not die of hunger, in an accident or because of a stray bullet. They were killed because they were accused of belonging to Hamas. ... The Israeli offensive is one of the deadliest wars for journalists. ... The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has already documented the deaths of at least 184 Palestinian journalists. ... Reporters Without Borders has called on the International Criminal Court to recognise Palestinian journalists as victims of the Gaza Strip conflict. This official recognition would be an essential step towards guaranteeing the freedom of the press and the right [of journalists] to bodily integrity in all the world's conflict zones.”
Unconditional militarisation
Any effort to distinguish between military and civilians targets in Gaza ceased long ago, La Repubblica concludes:
“This was by no means a technical error, nor can it be said that the killings took place despite the fact that the victims were media workers, protected by their professional role and international conventions. On the contrary, they were killed precisely because they were journalists. This is the latest stage in a process of unconditional militarisation of the entire war zone. ... The line between military and civilian populations is becoming increasingly blurred.”
Close-up coverage essential
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has now promised to allow more foreign journalists into the country - a vital step, Sydsvenskan stresses:
“As we all know, the first casualty of war is the truth. ... International journalists must be allowed to enter the country so that the world can learn what is happening there - and they must be allowed to cover the situation without risking their lives. Only then can the outside world gain a better picture of the events and check the information - from both sides of the conflict.”