Submission of NGO Monitor to the Secretary General’s report on the Safety of Journalists

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Introduction

On October 7, 2023, thousands of Palestinian terrorists poured across the border from Gaza into Israel, slaughtering 1200 people, torturing and maiming thousands, including 36 children who were slaughtered in their homes. Babies and toddlers were found butchered, decapitated, or even burned alive in the remnants of the various Israeli kibbutzim. The brutal attack left 21 children from 13 families orphaned or having their parents abducted or missing. Hamas, and other terrorist groups, also kidnapped more than 200 individuals, of which 30 were children. Hamas livestreamed these horrors and hijacked the victim’s social media to disseminate the atrocities.

However, Hamas and other terror groups were not the only ones who documented the war crimes they had committed. Some of their atrocities were captured by Gaza-based photojournalists working for the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and Reuters news agencies. Most of them did not identify themselves with press vests or helmets. Other journalists actually participated in the atrocities and even held hostages. Many of these journalists also have ties to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

These facts raise highly troubling issues relating to journalistic ethics and responsibilities regarding complicity in human rights violations and international crimes. The Secretary General and OHCHR should take care to address these issues in the report.