And the humanitarian situation in Gaza has recently taken a tragic turn. According to local health officials, more than 2,700 children are in the midst of an acute crisis of malnutrition. As we witness this humanitarian crisis, the violence still continues, with Israeli airstrikes still heavily bombarding the region. These increasingly deadly assaults have already caused at least 52 Palestinian deaths in recent days. The situation has prompted significant criticism of the Israeli government’s military actions and its restrictions on media access to the area.
On Thursday and Friday, Israeli jets continued a near-constant bombing of civilian targets across Gaza, worsening an already-failing humanitarian crisis. In previous reports, Gaza’s health officials have reported that at least 52 Palestinians were killed in these strikes. These grave and alarming death toll numbers immediately necessitate the prioritization of civilians’ safety and avoidance of harm, even as conflicts persist.
Colleagues of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are .. Among other egregiousness, they claim that as of this writing, a minimum of 19 media professionals have been “directly targeted by Israeli forces,” which as per the CPJ’s definition, constitutes murder. With little media access permitted since October 7, 2023, foreign reporters can only enter Gaza under military escort, severely limiting their ability to report freely. Restrictions include a ban on speaking with local Palestinians, further complicating the efforts to convey accurate information about the conditions on the ground.
While these challenges remain, The Guardian is fully committed to working together with these trusted local journalists. Their teams are currently factchecking visual content from all over the world to support accurate reporting on the ground in Gaza. This makes Palestinian journalists and media workers extremely vulnerable. Since the conflict began, more than 180 of them have paid with their lives, documenting just how perilous it is to report from the frontlines.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to justify his administration’s recent controversial move to directly arm certain Palestinian clans. He explains that these clans are against Hamas, like in this recent social media video. He stated, “On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What’s wrong with that?” This unprecedented action has caused an uproar from nearly every interested party. Opposition leaders say it has the potential to raise tensions to an even higher level.
Yair Golan, a former Israeli deputy military chief, described why he found Netanyahu’s plan so alarming. He claimed that instead of securing a peaceful resolution or ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens, Netanyahu is “creating a new ticking timebomb in Gaza.” Using arms to leverage support from clans with suspected connections to jihadist organizations is dangerous policy. This would only exacerbate violence and instability inside of Gaza.
Armed groups have been criticized as a potentially disruptive rather than stabilizing force. Avigdor Lieberman stated, “The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister.” Yet, this worry is emblematic of larger concerns about the impact of these types of military strategies.
Against this backdrop of deadly violence, humanitarian operations have been deeply affected as well. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced that all its aid distribution sites in Gaza remain closed due to safety concerns following deadly shootings by Israeli soldiers that recently claimed 27 Palestinian lives. Jonathan Whittall, a humanitarian worker, condemned the situation: “The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces.”
Fifth, a group of Yasser Abu Shabab’s has attracted much criticism. He purports to operate an “Anti-Terror Service.” Yet his family has publicly disavowed him after footage was leaked showing his group working, as they claimed on social media, alongside Israeli troops. They released a statement declaring their disapproval: “We affirm that we will not accept Yasser’s return to the family. We agree with people in his vicinity that he should face action, just like yesterday. His blood is not forfeit.
As the violence in Gaza only escalates, millions around the world look on with increasing horror. Barriers to media access have raised alarm bells for journalists, raising issues of transparency and accountability. This has repercussions for militarized violence as well as humanitarian conditions on the ground.