By Muhammet Ikbal Arslan, Yilmaz Ozturk and Tarek Chouiref
ISTANBUL (AA) – The UN human rights office on Tuesday urged Israel to allow foreign journalists immediate and unhindered access to the Gaza Strip, warning that attacks on journalists undermine efforts to document the realities on the ground.
Spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan told Anadolu that six journalists were killed in recent Israeli strikes in Gaza.
He condemned Sunday’s Israeli attack on a tent used by reporters near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, which killed six Palestinian journalists, describing it as “a serious violation of international law.”
The victims included Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqea, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, their assistant Mohammed Noufal, and freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khaldi, who succumbed to his wounds on Monday.
Gaza’s media office says 238 journalists have been killed since Israel launched its war on the enclave, now in its 22nd month.
Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 victims since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.