Daily Times Magazine mourns fallen journalists and casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
If the hunter does not know how to read and write, the lion will leave to tell his story and yet in cases where the hunter knows how to read and write, his voice has been taken away. In his book ‘animal farm’, George Orwell says ‘We are all equal but some animals are more equal than others’. Indeed, we are all under law but some have immunity over laws they are part of.
The United Nations charter says freedom of information is an integral part of the fundamental right of freedom of expression, as recognized by resolution 59 of the UN General Assembly adopted in 1946, as well as by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), and yet even so those who dare voice have their lives cut short.
Journalists are groaning under the rubbles while holding their pens and microphones and yet on top of them are tanks and guns. Jackets inscribed ‘media’ have been turned red with blood, while voices are silently fading away, amid summits and MoUs on ending the war in hotels.
Today, Daily Times Magazine pays tribute to the fallen heroes of the media, those whose voices have been silenced. As of January 22, 2024, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) preliminary investigations showed that at least 83 journalists and media workers were among the more than 25,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 24,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel.
As if the number of those fallen is not enough, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Reuters and Agence France Press news agencies that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, after they had sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes.
Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes. “CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”
More than 800 journalists and media workers around the world have signed a petition demanding an immediate end to the killing of journalists in Gaza and the wider region. “As members of the international journalism community, we call for an end to the killing of journalists and to any threats to media covering the Israeli bombardment in Gaza and Lebanon and the escalating violence in the region. We call for the protection of all of our colleagues by all parties,” said a statement signed by the media fraternity titled For Our Colleagues. “We stand with all of our colleagues and condemn the killing of journalists. We call on the international community to uphold freedom of the press and to protect the lives and safety of members of the media. We demand an end to the impunity in the killing of journalists and we call for those found responsible to be held to account,” it said.
“Palestinian journalists reporting in Gaza are doing so amid carnage and destruction, exposing horrors that would otherwise remain invisible to the outside world. Journalists there have not only lost their homes and family members in the bombings but also face dire living conditions, with limited food, water, and electricity due to a complete siege. Meanwhile, restricted access to Gaza and communication blackouts have suppressed the flow of information,” said the statement.
From Istanbul to London to Kampala and beyond, masses are rallying against Israel’s widespread grave human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a world where you can be anything, choose to have love for everyone has a right to live in a democracy, and everyone has a right to be well informed and protected. Daily Times Magazine pleads with all involved in conflicts to silence the guns and not the voices for journalism is not a crime.
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