KUALA LUMPUR – Foreign Correspondents’ Club Malaysia (FCCM) strongly denounced all acts of aggression and intimidation directed at journalists fulfilling their crucial roles on the front lines amidst the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict.
Expressing profound sorrow over the distressing accounts of escalated violence inflicted upon journalists in Gaza, FCCM in a statement Tuesday said it is unequivocal that targetting journalists and media organisations constitutes a war crime.
“Journalists operating in conflict zones must be accorded the same protections as civilians, enabling them to report impartially and without fear of reprisal from any side involved.
“These individuals are not combatants and, as such, are entitled to the safeguards outlined in the Geneva Conventions,” the statement read.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 15 journalists were killed since the conflict erupted on Oct 7, said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has confirmed that 11 Palestinian journalists were tragically killed in Israeli airstrikes.
FCCM highlighted the tragedy that struck Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah, who lost his life in southern Lebanon last Saturday (Oct 14), along with six other journalists who sustained injuries due to Israeli artillery fire.
A photographer for AFP Christina Assi was seriously injured in the same incident.
On Sunday (Oct 15), a correspondent for Al-Araby television network, Ahmad Darawsheh, faced threats and aggression from an Israeli police officer during a live broadcast from Ashdod city.
FCCM said journalists serve as indispensable impartial witnesses, responsibly reporting the truth without being coerced or threatened, adding that ensuring their safety and granting them the freedom to report under secure conditions is paramount.- Bernama
