Reporters without Borders (RSF) has condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat on Monday while urging the “international community to urgently pressure the Israeli government to end the massacre of Palestinian journalists.”
In a statement RSF also said that it had found Israeli accusations that Shabat, as well as other journalists killed by Israel in its war on Gaza, was a combatant “severely lacked proof”.
Jonathan Dagher, the head of RSF’s Middle East Desk said that the organisation had warned Shabat was at high risk of being killed.
“The Israeli army’s accusations against Hossam Shabat in October 2024 can in no way justify his murder, as they are based on documents that in no way constitute that the journalists had any affiliation with the army.
“This all-too-familiar pattern fuels the unprecedented massacre of journalists happening in Gaza, which had slowed with the ceasefire in January. RSF calls on the international community to do everything in their power to pressure the Israeli authorities to instate protections for journalist in Gaza,” he added.
