150 outlets from 50 countries unite to demand end of targeted attacks on journalists in Gaza and unfettered access for international press
Reporters Without Borders and Avaaz call on editors worldwide to join by Sunday Aug 31st
For immediate release – More than 150 media outlets from over fifty countries will participate in a world-first, global media mobilization on Monday, September 1, coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Avaaz, the global civic movement. The action comes in response to the unprecedented killing of over 210 journalists in Gaza and Israel’s ongoing refusal to allow independent international press access to the territory – a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare.
The September 1 mobilization will unite newspapers, broadcasters, and online platforms in a coordinated call to end the killing of journalists, open Gaza to the press, and protect Palestinian reporters working under fire.
This urgent action follows the latest deadly strike on August 25, when the Israeli army bombed the al-Nasser medical complex in central Gaza – a well-known hub for reporters – killing five journalists and staff from local and international outlets including Reuters and Associated Press. Just two weeks earlier, on August 10-11, an airstrike killed six journalists, among them Anas al-Sharif, correspondent for Al Jazeera.
According to RSF data:
- More than 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s nearly 23-month military operation in the Palestinian enclave.
- Of these, at least 56 were directly targeted by the Israeli army or killed while reporting. RSF has filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over these killings and continues to provide material, psychological, and professional support to Palestinian reporters on the ground.
- This makes Gaza the most dangerous place on the planet to be a journalist right now and this ongoing massacre of Palestinian journalists requires a large-scale, publicly visible mobilization.
Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders said:
“The Israeli army killed five journalists in two strikes on Monday, 25 August. Just two weeks earlier, it similarly killed six journalists in a single strike. Since 7 October 2023, over 210 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. We reject this deadly new norm, which week after week brings new crimes against Palestinian journalists that go unpunished. We say it loud and clear: at the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. More than 150 media outlets worldwide have joined together for a major operation on Monday, 1 September, at the call of RSF and Avaaz. This campaign calls on world leaders to do their duty: stop the Israeli army from committing these crimes against journalists, resume the evacuation of the journalists who wish to leave Gaza, and ensure the foreign press has independent access to the Palestinian territory.”
Andrew Legon, Campaign Director at avaaz said: “Avaaz means ‘voice’ in many languages – and right now, the world’s media must use theirs. At least 210 journalists have been killed in Gaza, and foreign press remain locked out. This is a direct assault on press freedom and the truth itself. This is a chance for the media to send an unmistakable message: stop killing journalists, open Gaza to the press, and let the media do its job.”
In an unprecedented mobilisation planned for September 1, RSF is renewing its demand, signed by more than 200 media outlets and organizations in June, for urgent protection for Palestinian media workers in the Gaza Strip. The organization is also calling for independent access for the international press to the territory, which continues to be denied by the Israeli authorities, despite repeated calls from media outlets, press freedom organisation and recently, 27 governments.
Noted to editor:
- How to join
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- To join this operation, media outlets can write to Avaaz at andrew.legon@avaaz.org or media@avaaz.org
- Who is involved already
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- Among the 150 outlets are numerous daily newspapers and news sites: Mediapart (France), Al Jazeera (Qatar), The Independent (United Kingdom), +972 Magazine (Israel/Palestine), Local Call (Israel/Palestine), InfoLibre (Spain), Frankfurter Rundschau (Germany), Der Freitag (Germany), RTVE (Spain), Público (Portugal), L’Humanité (France), The New Arab (United Kingdom), Daraj (Lebanon), New Bloom (Taiwan), Le Desk (Morocco), Photon Media (Hong Kong), La Voix du Centre (Cameroon), Guinée Matin (Guinea), The Point (Gambia), L’Orient Le Jour (Lebanon), Media Today (South Korea), N1 (Serbia), KOHA (Kosovo), Public Interest Journalism Lab (Ukraine), Il Dubbio (Italy), Intercept Brasil (Brazil), Agência Pública (Brazil), Le Soir (Belgium), La Libre Belgique, Semanario Brecha (Uruguay)… and many others.
- About RSF
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- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) defends the right of every human being to have access to free and reliable information. This right is essential to know, understand, form an opinion and take action on vital issues in full awareness, both individually and collectively.
- About Avaaz
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- Avaaz is a global campaigning organization with 70 million members worldwide working passionately to solve the biggest challenges of our time. From defending human rights to protecting democracies, fighting disinformation to standing up for indigenous rights, ensuring biodiversity protected areas, and pushing governments for urgent climate action.