Al-Jashira Adjusts Staff Death Toll in Gaza Conflict
During the Gaza War, Anas al-Quds, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, was targeted and killed in a controversial Israeli air strike. The incident took place in the city of Gaza in the north of the Gaza Strip, where a tent for journalists was attacked.
Al-Quds was among five other journalists (mostly Al Jazeera staff) and two other people who lost their lives in the attack outside Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military accused al-Quds of leading a terrorist cell of the Islamist Hamas, a claim that has been strongly disputed by Al Jazeera and international press watchdogs.
The Israeli military alleges that they have intelligence information and documents found in the Gaza Strip that prove al-Quds' military affiliation with Hamas. However, these allegations have been described as unproven and part of a broader Israeli "smear campaign" aimed at silencing journalists reporting on the conflict.
The attack was widely condemned as a deliberate assassination to suppress eyewitness media coverage of the war. Reporters Without Borders reported a total of six journalists died in the Gaza conflict, with Al Jazeera revising down the number of its employees killed in the Israeli air strike to three.
The killing was part of a pattern where Israel has been accused of deliberately targeting journalists to suppress coverage of alleged war crimes in Gaza. Press freedom organizations have condemned the incident and called for international protections for journalists in conflict zones.
The Israeli newspaper "Times of Israel" reported the lack of explanation from the army regarding the targeting of al-Quds among the journalists. Two days after the air strike, there is still no explanation from the army as to why they targeted al-Quds. The Israeli military did not comment on the other five victims of the attack on the journalists.
In summary, al-Quds was targeted based on Israel's claim of militant affiliation, but no credible evidence has been publicly presented. This claim is strongly disputed by Al Jazeera and international press watchdogs, who view the attack as an intentional attempt to silence independent reporting from Gaza.
- The Israeli military's allegation about Al Jazeera correspondent, Anas al-Quds, being a part of Hamas' terrorist cell, despite being strongly disputed by Al Jazeera and international press watchdogs, raises questions about the politicianization of service, suspicion, and targeted attacks on journalists during war-and-conflicts.
- The lack of explanation from the Israeli army regarding the targeting of Anas al-Quds among the journalists in the Gaza War, along with the international condemnation of his killing, highlights the urgency for implementing general-news policies that ensure the safety and protection of journalists in conflict zones.
