STATEMENT: The NewsGuild of New York condemns the killing, harassment and intimidation of journalists in Gaza covering the Israel-Hamas war

NEW YORK – The NewsGuild of New York condemns in the strongest possible terms the continued killing, harassment and intimidation of journalists in Gaza covering the Israel-Hamas war, and calls for an immediate halt to these practices.

The public has a right to follow the developments on the ground in Gaza, and the brave journalists covering the war deserve to be protected while they do their vital work.

Recently, two Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Seven Al Jazeera-affiliated journalists and media workers have been killed in the war following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The CPJ said that, as of Aug. 9, 113 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war began: 108 Palestinians, two Israelis, and three Lebanese. Another 32 journalists were reported injured, 2  missing and 52 arrested and others have suffered “multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.”

The NewsGuild International has previously raised concerns about the staggering number of journalists killed in Israeli airstrikes, and the New York local has opposed limitations on press freedom in the war zone, including the suspension of an Associated Press video feed and the shutdown of Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel by the Israeli government.

The NewsGuild of New York supports the rights of journalists working around the world, and calls on the U.S. government to use its leverage to protect journalists working in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

Threats to a free and fair press are threats to democracy and free societies.