Türkiye's communications director urges news outlets to report ‘responsibly and sensibly’ on Israeli-Palestine conflict

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's communications director urged all news outlets Thursday “to report responsibly and sensibly, according to highest journalistic standards” regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

"This necessity becomes particularly serious in times of conflict when real lives are at stake and misinformation can exacerbate an already terrible situation on the ground," Fahrettin Altun wrote on X.

Altun said in times of war and conflict, the truth often becomes one of the first victims.

"As Türkiye, we are determined to prevent this from happening," he said.

He urged everyone, including government institutions and media outlets, to behave responsibly to prevent a worsening of the situation and intensifying the crisis.

"As the Directorate of Communications, we are focused on fighting disinformation regardless of its source. The unfortunate events unfolding in the Israel-Palestine conflict are being manipulated by various organized groups through misinformation campaigns," he said. "By sensationalizing the news and fabricating facts, dishonest actors try to misguide audiences for their political goals."

Altun said he directed his fact-checking and news analysis teams to exercise increased vigilance during “this extremely sensitive time.”

Baseless allegations and fake news can inflame people’s feelings, resulting in chaos in the past few days, he said.

"As our President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan has emphasized, it is critical for all parties to do their utmost to avoid targeting civilians. It is also crucially important for the international audiences to receive the truth about civilian casualties as well as the humanitarian situation," said Altun.

The Directorate of Communications is working around the clock to combat disinformation to prevent the potentially catastrophic consequences of inflammatory and fabricated narratives, he added.

Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response.

That response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.