African journalists group condemns Israel’s targeting of journalists, demands sanctions

A coalition of African journalists, African Journalist Against Genocide (AJAG), on Wednesday condemned Israel’s targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza and called for international sanctions.

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“We, a coalition of African journalists from across the continent, have joined our voices under the umbrella of AJAG to condemn Israel’s intentional and deliberate targeting of our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza,” part of the press statement released by the group read.

“We call on the international community to apply sanctions and treat Israel as it once treated apartheid South Africa. We demand accountability and justice for our Palestinian colleagues.”

According to the group, the coalition was created by Nigerian broadcast journalist Ireti Bakare-Yusuf, with media personalities from over 20 African countries.

The AJAG noted that since the beginning of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict in 2023, “over 250 journalists have been killed in Gaza,” describing it as the deadliest period for journalists in the 21st century.

They also condemned Israel for preventing international journalists from reporting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leaving the world to depend on reports from journalists in Gaza.

However, AJAG said, “The deliberate targeting of these journalists indicates the Israeli state’s clear strategy of suppressing the truth and silencing the media. Without their voices, their eyes, their determination to inform, report, and document the atrocities on the ground, the world would be blind to the full scale of Israel’s genocidal campaign against a besieged population.”

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“We believe that our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are being punished for simply telling the world the truth.”

The group emphasised the importance of journalism as a source of truth, ensuring accountability and scrutinizing policies that affect citizens’ lives. Therefore, they insisted that reporting war crimes should not be considered a criminal offense. But “Killing journalists is a crime.”

“We call on all national journalist groups and formations, along with the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and other continental and international press groups, to demand accountability and justice. African voices cannot be silent,” AJAG demanded.

On 11 August, PREMIUM TIMES reported the death of five Al Jazeera journalists due to an Israeli strike in Gaza.

One of them is a prominent voice for the news channel and has been reporting from inside the city since the crisis began in October 2023.

The correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, was targeted in an air raid on a tent at Al-Shifa hospital’s main gate alongside his colleagues, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and three camera operators, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.

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The Israeli forces have claimed responsibility for it, describing Mr Al-Sharif as a member of the “Hamas terrorist organisation,” disguised as a journalist. However, Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, described him as an accredited journalist and was “the only voice” for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip.

Also, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned Israel for killing journalists.

CPJ noted that 184 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israel since the war began on 7 October 2023.