In Beirut, it almost felt impossible not to cross paths with Issam Abdallah. Warm, generous, and always wearing a smile, he was a familiar presence in our lives. Issam wasn’t just a journalist; he was a friend to many, always willing to lend a hand. Our last conversation was about the daily hassles of the diesel generators in Hamra, Beirut. That feels like a different world from where we are today.
Just over a year ago, on October 13, 2023, an Israeli tank fired on Issam and a group of colleagues while they were covering the conflict from the Lebanese side of the border, and then fired a second time. Issam, 37, who was photographing for Reuters, was killed, while Agence France-Presse photographer Christina Assi was severely wounded. They were clearly identified as press and there was no active combat or identifiable targets in their area. Reuters and other agencies launched thorough investigations that deemed the attack deliberate – an intentional act by the Israeli military to silence the truth. Amnesty International has called for Issam’s killing to be investigated as a war crime, yet there has been no accountability.
A year later, the international community’s indifference to this attack, as well as the Israeli army’s killing of many other reporters in Lebanon and Gaza, only emboldens Israel’s campaign against journalism. Any country or leader who claims to believe in the rule of law and the international order must condemn Israel’s targeting of journalists. Israel’s blatant violations of international protections for media workers must be met with the full force of international law.
Israel is not just waging a war on Hamas and Hezbollah, and the people in Gaza and Lebanon; it is waging a war on information itself. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, Israel has systematically targeted journalists, killing over 128 media workers, injuring hundreds, and destroying media infrastructure to blackout the truth. These acts are not collateral damage—they are deliberate attempts to silence the voices documenting Israel’s crimes.
Killing All Narratives but the Israeli Narrative
In Gaza, the toll is horrifying. Journalists working there have been systematically killed, their homes bombed, and their offices obliterated. Journalists who survive these attacks are left to report in near-blackout conditions, with power outages, fuel shortages, and communication blockages crippling their ability to do their jobs. These conditions are not accidents of war—they are part of a calculated strategy by Israel to suppress information and control the narrative. Israel’s intention to silence the free press can be no more clear than its security forces raiding Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah and banning the network from operating.
The Israeli government has imposed draconian restrictions on media access to Gaza, effectively banning independent reporters from entering the area unless they are embedded with Israeli forces. This tactic ensures that only Israel’s version of the conflict reaches the outside world, while Palestinian voices are systematically silenced. This is not just a violation of the freedom of the press but an egregious assault on the global right to know.
International Law Violations: Clear and Unforgivable
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned Israel’s actions, stating that the deliberate targeting of journalists and the systematic destruction of media infrastructure are clear violations of international law, including the Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), which specifically protects journalists in conflict zones. Yet, despite these condemnations, Israel continues to act with impunity, confident that the international community will do little more than offer words of concern.
The international legal framework is unambiguous: journalists, as civilians, are protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the deliberate targeting of journalists is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Israel’s repeated violations of these laws are flagrant and unforgivable.
The United Nations and press freedom organizations worldwide have called for independent investigations into the killing of journalists. Yet, Israel has continued to shield itself from accountability, using the guise of “self-defense” to justify its crimes.
How long will the world let Israel flout international law and trample on the rights of journalists with impunity?
The Path Forward: Holding Israel Accountable
The time for mere words has passed. The international community must take decisive action to hold Israel accountable for its war on journalists. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called for the International Criminal Court to open investigations into Israel’s crimes against journalists, and these calls must now be heeded. Every journalist killed, every media office bombed, is not just an attack on the individuals involved—it is an attack on the global right to know the truth.
Governments around the world, especially those who claim to defend press freedom, must pressure Israel to lift its restrictions on media access to Gaza, cease its attacks on journalists, and allow independent investigations to proceed. Additionally, robust legal frameworks must be enforced to protect journalists, and those responsible for these crimes must face prosecution.
Time to End the Silence
Issam Abdallah’s murder should have been a turning point—a rallying cry for the global community to stand up for the rights of journalists. Instead, one year later, we are still waiting for justice. Israel’s war on journalism has only escalated, and the silence from the international community is deafening. If the world fails to act, it sends a clear message: that the lives of journalists, the truth they uncover, and the laws meant to protect them mean nothing.
Journalists are not combatants; they are the bearers of truth in the darkest times. Their work holds the powerful to account and shines a light on atrocities that would otherwise go unseen. The deliberate targeting of these truth-tellers by Israel is an affront to everything the international community claims to stand for. The time for action is now.