Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant

We are writing to you on behalf of the International Federation of Journalists. We represent 600,000 journalists operating in more than 140 countries.

It is enshrined in the Constitution of the IFJ that we exist, among other things, to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of journalists, and to defend media freedom and the independence of journalism. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is one of our members. Journalists in more than 140 countries consider their members as their colleagues.

We have watched the mounting death toll among journalists in Gaza since 7 October with increasing horror. As you will be aware, the death toll now represents around ten per cent of journalists in the enclave.

We recognise that Israel acted after 7 October in response to an invasion, hostage taking and acts of shocking cruelty. However, ,such has been the mortality rate among news gatherers – around three times that of health workers, for example – that it is impossible to believe that this is a matter of chance.

We read reports that the Israeli Defence Force has access to highly-sophisticated, artificial intelligence-enhanced, targeting systems such as Gospel. If these reports are accurate, presumably decisions are being made on an individual-by-individual basis in respect of the targeting media workers, their families and their homes?

We note also the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to   “take all measures within their power to desist from killing Palestinians in contravention of the Genocide Convention” and to inform the Court of the policies that your Government has adopted to this end.

We are writing to remind you that international law requires that states do all in their power to protect civilians, and that journalists should be treated as civilians. We call on you now to commit to and publish specific policies and procedures to ensure that Israeli service personnel are complying with this requirement.

Our hope would be that humanity and a desire to promote a free media sufficient to persuade you to take these steps. If this does not happen, however, we will have no hesitation in initiating action in the international courts against politicians and IDF commanders and encouraging our 187 affiliates to do the same where their domestic jurisdictions allow.

Yours sincerely,

Dominique Pradalié - IFJ President

Anthony Bellanger - IFJ General Secretary