NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israel to stop making unproven claims that journalists slain by it's forces are terrorists or engaging in militant activity, and demands international, swift, and independent investigations into these killings.

“Even before the start of the Israel-Gaza war, CPJ had documented Israel’s pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without producing credible evidence to substantiate their claims,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna. “Smear campaigns endanger journalists and erode public trust in the media. Israel must end this practice and allow independent international investigations into the journalists’ killings.”