Al Jazeera says incitement marketing campaign goals to ‘justify focusing on of journalists’ as Israel continues to bombard Gaza.
Al Jazeera Media Community has denounced the Israeli army for what it referred to as a “marketing campaign of incitement” towards its reporters within the Gaza Strip, together with most notably Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Anas al-Sharif.
In an announcement on Friday, Al Jazeera mentioned it “strongly condemns and denounces these relentless efforts, which have persistently incited towards its workers because the starting of its protection of the continuing Israeli struggle on Gaza”.
“The Community considers this incitement a harmful try to justify the focusing on of its journalists within the area.”
The assertion comes simply days after Israeli military spokesperson Avichai Adraee reshared a video on social media accusing al-Sharif of being a member of Hamas’s army wing – a declare that has been forcefully rejected as false.
Israel has routinely accused Palestinian journalists in Gaza of being members of Hamas because it launched its struggle on the enclave in October 2023 as a part of what rights teams say is an effort to discredit their reporting on Israeli abuses.
The Israeli army has killed more than 200 reporters and media employees since its bombardment started, together with a number of Al Jazeera journalists and their family.
On Thursday, the Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ) mentioned it was “deeply alarmed” by Adraee’s threats towards al-Sharif and referred to as on the worldwide group to guard him.
“This isn’t the primary time Al-Sharif has been focused by the Israeli army, however the hazard to his life is now acute,” CPJ’s Regional Director Sara Qudah mentioned in an announcement.
“Israel has killed no less than six Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza throughout this struggle. These gridiron unfounded accusations symbolize an effort to fabricate consent to kill Al-Sharif.”
In its assertion, Al Jazeera Media Community mentioned it held the Israeli authorities “absolutely accountable” for the security of its workers. It additionally referred to as on states and worldwide organisations to make sure that all journalists in Gaza are protected.
“Israel’s continued obstruction of worldwide journalists from coming into Gaza to report on the catastrophic scenario has positioned an excellent larger burden on Al Jazeera’s journalists,” the community mentioned.
These reporters, it added, “have shouldered the duty of conveying the reality as they witness it firsthand, regardless of enduring excessive hardships, together with hunger, violence, terror, and a whole lack of life’s most elementary requirements”.