The murder of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil has once again brought to light the issue of targeting media professionals, in general, by Israel. The question posed by every person with a conscience and a free pen is: Why does Israel always escape punishment? And who provides it with a protective cover for these crimes against humanity?
In wars, words and images transform into a parallel front, no less dangerous than the battlefields. A journalist does not merely report the event but contributes to shaping global awareness towards it. However, this reality, when it concerns the crimes of the Israeli occupation, makes the journalist himself a direct target, in a clear attempt to silence the voice that documents and exposes.
The recent war on the Gaza Strip, and its extensions in southern Lebanon, revealed a dangerous pattern of systematic targeting of journalists. The circulating figures indicate that more than 150 to 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, one of the highest casualty tolls among media professionals in the history of modern conflicts. In Lebanon, a number of journalists were killed during field coverage, reflecting the widening circle of targeting beyond Gaza's borders.
These numbers, though shocking, do not tell the whole story. The issue is not about collateral damage or military errors, but rather points to a clear policy that targets anyone carrying a camera or a pen attempting to convey the truth from the field. Herein lies the danger of what can be described as "criminalizing the truth," where reporting reality becomes an act fraught with death.
Benjamin Netanyahu's government, in this context, seems to view the camera as an "act of resistance." The image that documents the targeting of children, the destruction of hospitals, or the leveling of residential neighborhoods, represents a direct threat to the Israeli narrative and embarrasses it before global public opinion. Therefore, silencing this image becomes an objective in itself.
This policy cannot be separated from the political cover enjoyed by the occupation government, where Netanyahu often relies on protection guarantees provided by Donald Trump's stances and policies, which many see as no less biased, and even provide a political umbrella that weakens opportunities for international accountability, granting Israel a wider margin to continue its policies without fear of real reckoning.
Since October 7, Israel has taken an additional step, which is to prevent foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip, in a clear attempt to impose a comprehensive media blackout. This ban was not a security measure, as much as it was part of a strategy aimed at concealing what is happening on the ground: killings, destruction, starvation, siege, and even forced displacement policies.
However, despite these restrictions, Israel has not succeeded in completely obscuring the truth. Palestinian journalists, with simple means and limited capabilities, have managed to convey the image of the tragedy to the world. Scenes of destruction emerged from under the rubble and reached the world's screens, revealing the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe and placing the international community before its moral responsibilities.
Yet, the painful irony is that this revelation has not translated into real deterrence. International positions, for the most part, remained within the framework of verbal condemnation, without practical measures to ensure accountability. This inability or hesitation encouraged the continuation of the targeting policy and sent a message that killing journalists can pass without serious consequences.
Targeting journalists is not only a violation of freedom of expression but a direct assault on humanity's right to know the truth. Every journalist killed is a witness assassinated, a narrative erased, and evidence lost. Hence, international silence cannot be considered neutrality; rather, it is a form of indirect complicity.
Today, the world stands before a real test: either international accountability mechanisms are activated, and those responsible for these crimes are held accountable, or this approach will continue, with its serious repercussions for the future of journalistic work and for the entire international justice system.
In conclusion, the camera that the occupation fears is not a weapon, but it possesses something more dangerous: the ability to reveal the truth. Therefore, protecting journalists is not merely a professional demand but a humanitarian and moral necessity. If the world does not act to stop these crimes, the killing will continue, and the truth will remain targeted… and the crime will go unpunished, time after time.
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Israel and the Phenomenon of Targeting Journalists: A Crime That Goes Unpunished!!