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Israeli attacks killed 92 journalists since Oct. 7: official

At least 92 journalists have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 7. The Gaza media office accuses Israel of trying to obscure the Palestinian narrative. Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, claims targeting journalists is a long-held Israeli policy to conceal the truth. He condemns the recent attack on an Anadolu photojournalist in East Jerusalem, stating that Israel is after everyone who exposes its actions.

Agencies and A News MIDDLE EAST
Published December 17,2023
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At least 92 journalists have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the government media office in the besieged Palestinian enclave said on Sunday.

In a statement, the office said the latest fatalities were journalists Rami Badir and Assem Kamal Musa, who was killed in Israeli raids during the past two days.

The office did not provide details regarding the circumstances of the journalists deaths.

The media office put the death toll of journalists killed in the war on Gaza at 92.

"By assassinating journalists, the Israeli occupation is trying to obscure the Palestinian narrative and attempt to obscure the truth, but it has failed miserably in breaking the will of our great Palestinian people," the office added.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 18,800 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have since been killed and 51,000 injured in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza's health authorities.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.

TARGETING JOURNALISTS IS LONG-HELD ISRAELI POLICY, SAYS PALESTINIAN ENVOY TO UK

Expressing solidarity with the Anadolu journalist who was attacked by Israeli forces recently, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said targeting journalists is a "long-held Israeli policy."

"Israel's biggest enemy is the truth," Zomlot said of the Israeli attack on an Anadolu photojournalist on Friday.

Israeli forces violently attacked Mustafa Alkharouf, a photojournalist for Türkiye's premier news agency Anadolu, who was on assignment in occupied East Jerusalem.

"I would like to say that this has been a long-held Israeli policy of targeting journalists," the Palestinian ambassador said, adding that Israel has been doing so for decades.

Recalling the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, he said told Anadolu over the phone: "This is a time when doctors come here to reject the targeting of hospitals when journalists should come together to reject the targeting of journalists."

"I think Israel has come out this time clear that it is after every one of us not only in Palestine but worldwide it is after the truth it wants to commit its atrocities in the darkness," Zomlot noted.

However, he added, now everybody is saying, "You commit your war crimes and crimes against humanity, but not in darkness, we will expose it."

Friday's incident occurred as a group of Palestinians gathered to pray in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood near the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque owing to Israeli army restrictions on weekly Friday prayers at the mosque, which was in their 10th week.

Israeli police, who had set up barricades in the area, first pulled their weapons on Alkharouf, who was covering the news, and then threw him to the ground, beating and kicking him.

Alkharouf suffered severe blows to the face and body and was taken by ambulance to the Makassed Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli police also attacked cameraman Faiz Abu Ramila, who was with Alkharouf.

The incident came amid the over two-month Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 18,800 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and dozens of journalists, along with hundreds of killings and arrests in the occupied West Bank.