Truth is often the first casualty of war but in the bloody conflict in Gaza, where Isaac is exacting a heavy price for the October 7 attack by Hamas, at least 31 journalists — guardians of truth — have been killed in the first three weeks of the fighting.
The dead include 26 Palestinians either bombed or shot by the Israeli military in Gaza Strip, many of whom were killed alongside family members. A number of others are missing.
The grim total also includes four Israeli journalists and one Lebanese – a Reuters journalist killed while livestreaming clashes on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Reporters Without Borders said it believes journalists were specifically targeted in that attack as they were clearly marked as press.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released a video reconstruction of the tragedy that resulted in the death of one journalist and the injury of several others.
The initial findings of the investigation show that the reporters were not collateral victims of the shooting.
One of their vehicles, marked “press”, was targeted, and it was also clear that the group stationed next to it was journalists.
Israel has reportedly told Reuters and Agence France Presse, which had journalists injured in the same attack, that it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists in Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces said in a letter that it was targeting Hamas, which has deliberately put its operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians”, adding: “Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety.”