Ambassador Tamer Almassri
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The Embassy of the State of Palestine has described as appalling and outrageous, the assassination of two more Palestinian journalists, Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour, by the Israeli apartheid forces in Gaza.
This heinous act is a grave violation of human rights and press freedom and is part of a broader strategy to create a media blackout on Israel’s genocidal crimes in Gaza.
The State of Palestine unequivocally condemns these cowardly acts, which represent a deliberate and systematic effort by the Israeli Occupation Forces aimed at silencing journalist voices and hiding the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.
The assassination of Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour, by the Israeli apartheid forces in Gaza is a stark reminder of the brutal reality faced by media professionals in the occupied territories. This heinous act brings the total number of media workers killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 2023 to 208, a record number since World War II.
Ambassador Tamer Almassri urgently calls upon press advocacy groups and unions worldwide to denounce these heinous crimes against Palestinian journalists and media professionals in Gaza. The international community must act swiftly and decisively to ensure the safety and protection of journalists operating in conflict zones and to hold Israel accountable for these targeted killings, which constitute clear violations of international law. Journalists are civilians and are protected under international humanitarian law.
The international community must not remain silent in the face of these atrocities. The lives of Palestinian journalists and civilians hang in the balance.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with over 50,082 Palestinians confirmed killed and 113,408 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
The relentless wave of bombardments since March 18 2025 has killed more than 700 people, with 200 children martyred in a single day.
The international community must act fast to stop this senseless violence and protect the Palestinian people from further harm.
