ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The UN Human Rights Office on Thursday called on Israeli forces to minimise the impact of military operations on civilians in Gaza and to end the killing of journalists.
On Wednesday, two Palestinian journalists, Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Al Ghoual, 27, and photographer Rami Al-Rifi, 26, were killed in an Israeli Air Force drone attack on Aydia Street, near Al Shifa Medical Complex. According to reports, the journalists were on an assignment west of Gaza City, when an Israeli strike hit their car, killing both of them. The attack also resulted in the death of a Palestinian boy riding his bicycle.
The Gaza Journalist Syndicate reported that the killings of Al Ghoual and Rifi bring the total number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to 157.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stressed in a statement published on Thursday that journalists are civilians protected under international humanitarian law, and that "the intentional killing of journalists is a war crime."
The UN body highlighted the critical role of Palestinian journalists in reporting the situation in Gaza.
"Palestinian journalists play a critical role in informing the world of the reality in Gaza, where Israel has not allowed international journalists to enter. Silencing Palestinian journalists conceals the shocking reality in Gaza," the statement said.