'Stop killing of journalists in Gaza:' International Press Institute urges Israel

Members of the International Press Institute (IPI) global executive board, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, on Thursday urged Israel to cease the killing of journalists in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict.

In a joint statement, the executive board, comprising leading editors, journalists, and publishers from 20 countries worldwide, condemned the relentless targeting of journalists, emphasizing 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 reads. "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."

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.

Moreover, 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.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The Israeli response has killed nearly 26,000 Palestinians and injured 63,740 others. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while more than half of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.