International condemnation of "Israel’s" actions in Gaza continues to escalate as the civilian death toll mounts and war crimes accumulate at a staggering rate. Last week, the Pope called on "Israel" to end the “collective punishment” of Palestinians in the besieged Strip. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the sentiment a day later, stating that the “levels of death and destruction … are without parallel in recent times.”

In a growing push from within the UN itself, over 500 staff members have urged the organization’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, to recognize "Israel’s" war on Gaza as genocide. In the United States, a recent poll found that half of registered voters already consider "Israel’s" actions in Gaza to meet that definition.

An opinion piece published by The Guardian delves into the tragic realities in Gaza as scrutiny strikes "Israel" and its brutal conduct throughout the two-year war. 

Gaza City under intense attack

On Friday, the Israeli military designated famine-stricken Gaza City as a "combat zone", resuming its offensive after ending brief “tactical pauses” that had permitted negligible humanitarian aid, relative to the dire needs.

The move has left residents, many of whom are physically incapable of fleeing, trapped and exposed. Even so-called “humanitarian zones,” identified by "Israel" itself, have been subject to continued bombardment.

War on journalists

As international pressure intensifies, so too does the targeting of those who document the war. Gaza has become the deadliest zone for media professionals in recent history. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 189 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the war.

The Gaza Media Office, however, reported that at least 246 journalists have been killed since October 2023, after five media workers were targeted and murdered in a single strike on Nasser Medical Complex last week. 

Organizations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and global advocacy group Avaaz have called on "Israel" to comply with international law by ensuring the protection of journalists as civilians and by opening Gaza’s borders to allow international media access.

Among the journalists killed are prominent names such as Fatma Hassona, Hamza al-Dahdouh, and Anas al-Sharif. Their deaths represent both personal and professional tragedies, as a generation of Palestinian reporters is being wiped out.

“This is the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented,” the organization said. CPJ has reported that Palestinian journalists are being threatened, directly targeted and murdered by Israeli forces, and in some cases, detained and tortured in retaliation for their reporting.

Despite the mounting risks, journalists in Gaza continue their work under extraordinary conditions. Many are operating while hungry, exhausted, and separated from their families. Some are forced to interrupt reporting to search for food, recover bodies from beneath rubble, or help injured loved ones seek shelter. Still, they remain committed to exposing the reality on the ground.

RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin warned that at the current rate, “there will soon be no one left to keep you informed.”

Urgent need for protection

The killing of clearly identified media professionals, some of whom had previously received threats related to their reporting, raises grave concerns about the deliberate targeting of the press. These attacks are part of a broader effort to control the narrative of the war and suppress independent journalism.

As "Israel" continues its campaign, journalists on the ground serve as some of the last witnesses to unfolding atrocities. Defending them is not only a moral imperative, it is essential to preserving the truth, The Guardian said. 

Meanwhile, several reports and condemnations asserted that the deliberate targeting of Gaza's journalists is an Israeli strategy to conceal its war crimes, which have caused an uproar of backlash across the globe. 

In an opinion piece for The New York Times, columnist Lydia Polgreen argued that "Israel" is deliberately targeting journalists in Gaza to suppress documentation of its military campaign. 

Polgreen noted that "Israel" has barred international reporters from entering Gaza, leaving local journalists as the primary witnesses to mass displacement and destruction. He argued that by branding them as militants, "Israel" seeks to justify their elimination while controlling the narrative of the war.

The columnist also criticized the muted international response, contrasting it with the outcry over attacks on journalists in other countries. He warned that if the killings continue unchecked, there may soon be no one left to bear witness to Gaza’s devastation.

Read more: More Journalists killed in Gaza than World War I, II: Report