By Nur Asena Erturk
The European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) on Friday expressed “deep regret” over the recent death in the Gaza Strip of Anadolu freelance journalist Hassan Hamad.
An Israeli airstrike killed Hamad, a freelancer cameraman working for Anadolu, raising the number of journalists killed in Gaza since last October to 175, the government media office said last week.
In a statement, EANA’s board said it “strongly denounces any form of violence” against journalists, and emphasized their “essential role” in “providing accurate information from conflict zones.”
“This tragic event acts as an unwanted reminder that media professionals that do their jobs in high-risk areas need more acknowledgement and support from authorities and from everyone involved,” said Alexandru Giboi, the group’s secretary general.
Recent data from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate shows that over the last year – since Israel began its deadly offensive on Gaza – 167 journalists have been killed, 193 injured, and 61 detained. Additionally, 88 media institutions have been destroyed since Oct. 7.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
More than 42,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,000 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.