"Gaza is Dying. And We Die With It”: Al Jazeera Pleads to Save Starving, Silenced Journalists

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- Al Jazeera Media Network has urgently called upon the journalistic community, press freedom organisations, and relevant legal bodies to take decisive action to halt the forced starvation and crimes against journalists and media professionals in Gaza.

The network stressed that the plight of journalists in Gaza has reached a critical point, with many of them risking their lives while facing severe hunger and targeted attacks.

Its Director-General, Dr Mostefa Souag, said the international community must act to end the suffering endured by journalists in the besieged enclave.

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“We owe it to the courageous journalists in Gaza to amplify their voices and put an end to the unbearable suffering they are enduring due to forced starvation and targeted killings by Israeli occupation forces.

“The journalistic community and the world bear an immense responsibility; it is our duty to raise our voices and mobilise all available means to support our colleagues in this noble profession.

“If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories. Our inaction will be recorded in history as a monumental failure to protect our fellow journalists and a betrayal of the principles that every journalist strives to uphold,” he added.

For over 21 months, the Israeli bombardment and systematic starvation of nearly two million people in Gaza have pushed the entire population to the brink of survival.

Al Jazeera noted that journalists on the ground, who have courageously reported on the ongoing genocide, now find themselves fighting for their own survival.

On July 19, Al Jazeera journalists began posting heart-wrenching messages on social media, signalling that their capacity to continue was waning.

Al Jazeera Arabic channel correspondent in Gaza, Anas AlShariff said, “I haven’t stopped covering for a moment in 21 months, and today, I say it outright … and with indescribable pain. I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment … Gaza is dying. And we die with it.”

Despite the threats and pressure, Al Jazeera said its journalists refuse to bow to intimidation tactics aimed at silencing them, warning that this would result in an almost total blackout of coverage of the atrocities in Gaza.

The network also urged international organisations to take immediate action to end the forced starvation that does not spare journalists who are the bearers of truth.

Since October 2023, Israeli occupation forces have killed five Al Jazeera journalists, namely Samer Abudaqqa, Hamza AlDahdouh, Ismael Al-Ghoul, Ahmed Al-Louh, and Hossam Shabat, along with several family members of Al Jazeera and other media professionals.

-- BERNAMA