The killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip in Israeli strikes is probably deliberate and the enclave is one of the deadliest places in the world for reports, according to Ajith Sunghay, representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Sunghay answered Anadolu Agency's (AA) questions about Israel targeting journalists in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, for World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
Emphasizing that journalists do an incredible job in covering events in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Palestinian territories. Sunghay said that "over 210 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the 7th of October 2023,” according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
In many cases, we believe that such killings have been probably intentional.
"In these cases where there are suggestions that journalists could have been killed intentionally, this could be war crimes, and they have to be investigated thoroughly – all the 210 killings or more, and perpetrators brought to justice. In other words, accountability for such killings. That's not been the experience that I have gone through," he said.
Sunghay labeled the enclave as "one of the most deadliest places on earth for journalists" and unparalleled in scope considering the unknown number of injured journalists.
He drew attention to the responsibilities of third-party countries in relation to what is happening in Gaza, noting that those countries have an obligation under the Geneva Convention to ensure that a ceasefire is in place and to bring it to an end.
By doing so, Sunghay said, they can also contribute to the protection of civilians and journalists.
Emphasizing that they are in great solidarity with the families and friends of journalists killed and injured in the line of duty around the world, Sunghay said: "We want to acknowledge the amount of work that is done in exposing what is going on in some parts of the world, for instance, even in Gaza, where international journalists cannot go. National journalists have put their lives in forefront to tell the truth about what is happening in these places."
