Israeli crimes against Palestinian journalists ‘blatant press freedom violations’: Hamas

A senior Hamas official said Thursday that the Israeli crimes against Palestinian journalists are a flagrant violation of the freedom of press, claiming such actions will not succeed in obscuring the truth.

"The Israel occupation's systematic crimes against journalists in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem constitute a blatant violation of the freedom of press," Izzat al-Rishq said on the International Day for Palestinian Journalists, observed annually on Sept. 26.

With deliberate acts, Israel "will not succeed in concealing the truth," al-Rishq added.

He also paid tribute "to the souls of the journalists and media personnel who lost their lives while reporting on the atrocities committed by the (Israeli) enemy during the ongoing conflict."

He called on journalists and media outlets to "intensify their presence in Gaza to witness the extent of destruction and document the genocide perpetrated by the occupation against children, unarmed civilians, and all infrastructure over the past nearly year."

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip, a total of 173 Palestinian journalists have been killed, and more than 190 others have been injured, while 87 media institutions have been destroyed, according to Palestinian figures.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 96,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.