Palestinian journalist calls for justice for reporters killed by IDF

(MENAFN) Prominent Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh has called for accountability for the deaths of more than 250 reporters killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip during Tel Aviv’s recent military campaign.

“What happened in this war was unprecedented, in its form, substance, and scale,” Dahdouh, bureau chief of Qatar-based Al Jazeera in Gaza, told Anadolu on the sidelines of the TRT World Forum 2025 in Istanbul.

He added, “We lost 256 Palestinian journalists, hundreds of our family members, and hundreds more were injured, with dozens detained. We lost our offices, our homes — everything.” Dahdouh himself was injured and lost his wife, daughter, two sons, and a grandchild in the attacks.

The journalist warned that global silence and inaction toward Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity will only embolden Tel Aviv to continue such actions.

“For decades, Israel — not just in this war — has consistently escaped accountability and punishment. It has never been held to account by the international community,” he said. Dahdouh emphasized that Israel’s impunity violates the fundamental rights to life, freedom of speech, and access to information — rights that belong not only to Gazans or journalists but to all humanity.

“This war was the peak of that impunity, as though the world was rewarding Israel for its crimes instead of holding it responsible,” he added.

Dahdouh also criticized international media institutions for their failure to adequately cover the conflict, calling it “a great failure and moral collapse.” He argued that much of the global media have echoed the Israeli narrative without verification or evidence, whereas some Israeli newspapers, such as Haaretz, and many Israeli citizens have openly criticized the military’s actions.

“While there is internal scrutiny within Israel, most of the international media still hesitate to take a professional stance,” he said.

MENAFN05112025000045017281ID1110299366