Israel says it cannot guarantee the safety of journalists in Gaza
The safety of journalists in the Gaza Strip cannot be guaranteed by Israel. The country announced this in a letter received by news agencies Reuters and Agence France Presse. The two organizations had asked Israel to ensure that their employees would not become targets of attacks.
“The Israeli army is targeting all Hamas military activities throughout Gaza,” Israel said according to Reuters in the letter. According to Israel, Hamas is active near civilians and their rockets could kill people in the Gaza Strip. “Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee the safety of your employees and we urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety,” Israel wrote.
In a response, Reuters writes that “the Israeli army’s unwillingness” to provide guarantees threatens the work of their employees. According to the global press organization CPJ, 29 journalists have been killed so far since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7. This would be the deadliest period for journalists in conflict areas since 1992.
The CPJ warns in a statement that the world is losing “a window on reality” now that communication with the Gaza Strip is no longer possible. “A communication standstill is a news standstill,” writes the organization, which warns against propaganda and disinformation if independent news cannot be provided.
Media: continued bombing of Gaza, network down
In the Gaza Strip, almost the entire communications infrastructure is down, meaning the area is cut off from the outside world. As a result, there is little information about the damage and casualties caused by the intensified air strikes from Israel. Foreign correspondents and media in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip report heavy bombings.
According to The New York Times artillery is being fired on the area every few minutes from Israel and explosions are going off continuously in Gaza. VRT journalist Rudi Vranckx says on Belgian television that the bombings are “heavier than before.” “It has been going on continuously for two hours from ships and aerial bombardments with mid-air refueling.”
NBC spoke to an employee of the American channel in Gaza, which had a connection for a minute. According to the man, all internet and electricity in the area have been disconnected. “We are being bombarded extensively by artillery and from the air,” says the reporter, who says that ambulances do not dare to rush out because of the intensive bombing.
An Al Jazeera reporter, reporting from the north of the Gaza Strip, says based on local residents that airstrikes have been carried out near hospitals.
Israel condemns UN resolution: ‘despicable call for ceasefire’
Israel has firmly rejected Friday’s UN resolution calling for an “immediate and long-term humanitarian ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas. “We unequivocally reject the UN General Assembly’s despicable call for a ceasefire,” wrote Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on X. “Israel plans to eliminate Hamas, just as the world did with the Nazis and ISIS.”
After the vote, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said that the UN “no longer has an ounce of legitimacy or relevance” and that “the majority of the international community has shown that it would rather support the defense of Nazi terrorists than law-abiding State of Israel to defend its citizens.”
In addition to a ceasefire, the resolution called for the “protection of civilians” and “unhindered access to aid.” 120 countries voted in favor, including the US voted against. The Netherlands abstained from the vote, as did Germany, the UK and Ukraine, among others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority wrote in a statement that the “international community has spoken out clearly and unitedly against Israel’s continued crimes and deliberate violations of international law.”
Israel recognizes expansion of ground operation, but does not confirm ground offensive
Israel is present with troops and tanks in the Gaza Strip. This was stated by an Israeli military spokesman confirms opposite The New York Times. He said operations were underway in the area, but declined to comment on whether the ground offensive has begun. The spokesperson emphasizes that Israel has had ground troops in Gaza for several days.
A spokesperson for the Israeli government says to the BBC that Israel has expanded its current ground operation in the Gaza Strip, but he also refuses to confirm whether the ground offensive has actually begun.
MSNBC speaks with a close advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been more vocal about the state of affairs. “We will start paying back tonight,” he says. “Hamas will feel our revenge tonight.”
Aid organizations have lost contact with employees in Gaza
Almost all major human rights organizations and aid organizations with aid workers and staff in the Gaza Strip report that they have lost contact with their people. There is a complete blackout in the area, causing internet and telephone lines to be down.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director of the World Health Organization, says on X that WHO has lost all contact with staff and partners on the ground. UNICEF and Amnesty International also report that they have lost contact with people in Gaza.
“We are very concerned about the situation in Gaza,” writes Doctors Without Borders in a statement. “We are particularly concerned for the patients, medical staff and the thousands of families sheltered in Al Shifa Hospital and other health facilities.”
Regional and local aid organizations, such as the Palestinian Red Crescent, can no longer reach their people in the area.