DaysofPal – Sixteen media organizations and press freedom groups have issued a powerful joint statement warning that journalists in Gaza are being “starved to death” by Israel’s ongoing blockade and bombardment, describing the situation as a deliberate attempt to silence reporting from the ground.
“Journalists in Gaza are being starved to death. Not metaphorically. Not slowly. But deliberately, and in real time, while the world watches,” the groups declared.
The statement condemned the Israeli campaign of forced starvation and targeted attacks, warning that the few remaining journalists face daily threats to their lives. More than 230 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war began in October 2023, a toll press advocates say reflects a systematic effort to crush independent coverage of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
“Those who remain, and their families, are subjected to constant targeting, intimidation, and deprivation of their most basic needs,” the letter continued. “They are now forced to choose between death by air strike or starvation.”
The signatories warned that the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Without immediate international intervention, they said, journalists in Gaza may no longer be able to report at all.
“Their voices may fall silent,” the letter stated, “and with them, the truth.”
Calling for immediate action, the statement demanded unfettered access to food, clean water, and medical supplies for journalists in Gaza; the lifting of restrictions on foreign press entry; and independent investigations into the killing and starvation of media workers by international law.
The coalition also urged the international community to commit to long-term protection mechanisms for journalists operating in conflict zones.
“We refuse to stand by while truth dies. We refuse to let our colleagues perish from hunger.”
The grim warning follows months of growing concern over the conditions faced by local journalists trapped in Gaza. Last month, a global press freedom group reported that reporters who chose to stay and document the war’s impact are themselves now unable to find clean water or enough food to survive.
“Israel is starving Gazan journalists into silence,” the group’s regional director said in a statement on July 23.
“They are not just reporters; they are frontline witnesses, abandoned as international media were pulled out and denied entry.”
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