According to media reports, more than 60 media and civil society organizations have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to Gaza.

The organizations—which include the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—point out that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since the start of the war, increasing the pressure on domestic journalists, and creating a space for mis- and disinformation to flourish.

Israel has so far killed more than 40,000 people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since its war on Gaza in October last year. Most of those who have been killed by the Zionist regime are civilians, including women and children.

The civilians also include over one hundred journalists. That Israel’s belligerence knows no bounds is a fact. Its war machinery continues to kill as many people as possible on a daily basis.

It was, for example, only yesterday that at least 60 bodies were found in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa area, after Israeli troops pulled out earlier in the morning. It is said that dozens more are feared to be under rubble. In addition to journalists, the Israeli troops have been targeting aid workers mercilessly.

It was also yesterday that Israeli forces killed four aid workers of a British charity which has been operating from Istanbul at an aid distribution point in Khan Younis of the Gaza Strip. It may be recalled that Israeli forces have already targeted the World Central Kitchen in April.

There is no doubt about the fact that Israel along with its principal backer and sponsor, the US, has mislaid its moral compass long time ago.

Wajid Jabbar (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024