By Kubra Deniz
ISTANBUL (AA) - Press For Palestine issued a single-copy newspaper Wednesday in Besiktas, Istanbul, to draw attention to the nearly 100 journalists who have been killed while on duty in Palestine.
The single-copy newspaper, Gazzete, was distributed in various squares across Istanbul.
Spokeswoman of the platform, Hayrunnisa Cicek, said the largest journalist massacre in history had occurred.
Cicek said Israel's systematic massacres in Palestinian territories since 1948 reached an unprecedented scale on Oct. 7.
She reported that in Israel's attacks, more than 18,000 Palestinians, including at least 8,300 children and 6,200 women, have been killed. That number has since been updated to record more than 20,000.
Highlighting the devastating effect of Israel's attacks in Gaza and detailing the tragic loss of lives, including children, doctors and families seeking refuge in supposed safe zones, she criticized the global silence in the face of the tragedy, accusing governments of complicity in Israel's actions.
Cicek condemned Israel's use of the media to portray the attacks as a legitimate defense, emphasizing the need for international attention and condemnation.
-Palestinian journalists uncovered Israel's war crimes
Cicek pointed out that media professionals supporting Palestinian resistance have experienced mobbing or job losses.
She emphasized how Palestinian journalists, through their significant resistance, triggered a global intifada, exposing Israel's war crimes to the world and breaking the circulation of false narratives perpetuated by the occupying force.
Journalists exposed the traces of Israel's use of phosphorus bombs had revealed the extent of the massacre in Palestine, she said.
Cicek highlighted that Israel attempts to silence Palestinian journalists who expose the atrocities and war crimes committed against civilians, regardless of age or gender.
She noted that the number of journalists killed has reached 97 and more than 50 have been unlawfully detained by Israel since Oct. 7.
Access to Gaza for media personnel has been restricted, hindering the coverage of the realities on the ground, she said.
-Journalists have been key target for Israel since start of war
Amir Lafi, the head of the Palestinian Journalists Association, emphasized that what is happening in Gaza is not a war but a genocide and massacre.
Lafi said journalists are crucial in exposing the genocide, war and massacre in Gaza.
He noted that since the beginning of the conflict, Israel has targeted journalists, resulting in the deaths of 97 in a short period.
Lafi noted that during the six years of World War II, 69 journalists were killed; 63 in the 20-year Vietnam War and 17 in the three-year Korean War.
He stressed that within just 2 months, nearly 100 journalists have been killed by Israel.