Israel’s recent military actions have drawn international condemnation after strikes killed at least 35 individuals, including one child accompanying a journalist, and left 131 injured. The attacks, which occurred during a broader conflict involving Gaza and Yemen, have raised alarms about the safety of journalists working in conflict zones.
One day before Isreal’s airstrike on September 10, Yemen attacked a complex housing multiple newspapers in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital. The complex housed three other media organizations affiliated to the Houthi movement. The attack killed at least 31 journalists and media personnel. This attack now stands as the second deadliest single assault on journalists in 16 years, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 247 journalists in Gaza just since October 7th. Six journalists were killed as well, among them Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif. He was killed, unfortunately, when Israeli troops bombed press tents in Gaza City on August 10. Israeli officials have asserted, with no evidence, that these journalists worked for Hamas. According to their reporting, these strikes were aimed at journalists linked to Hezbollah-supporting media outlets. It doesn’t stop there; they targeted the members of Hezbollah’s media office in Lebanon.
This continued violence against journalists has caused an international uproar. Nasser al-Khadri, a fellow Yemeni journalist, called the attack an abomination. He described it as “a cruel and unreasonable attack on innocent individuals whose only sin was practicing the profession of journalism, wielding nothing but their pens, their words, their thoughts.” This sentiment reflects larger anxieties about repercussions for behavior like this.
Even with no shortage of outcry, it seems that few if any Israeli soldiers have faced any consequences after they’ve killed media workers. This is a pattern of lack of accountability that contributes to the greater risk of impunity for attacks on journalists. Sara Qudah, a media rights advocate, stated, “Since 7 October 2023, Israel has emerged as a regional killer of journalists… This latest killing spree is not only a grave violation of international law, but a terrifying warning to journalists across the region: no place is safe.”
Israel says that all of its strikes on Yemen were response actions against persistent Houthi missile attacks on Israeli territory. And the Houthis have pretty much guaranteed to fire missiles at Israel since the beginning of the current upsurge of violence in Gaza. The killing of Yemeni journalists has largely gone unnoticed by many governments, raising further concerns over the protection of press freedom amidst ongoing hostilities.