Israeli Precision-Drone Strike Assassinated 7, Including 6 Journalists
August 14, 2024—Following the weekend precision-targeted strike on a tent housing an Al Jazeera crew, the Israeli military came under condemnation and scrutiny by multiple nonprofits, lawmakers, UN officials, and news organizations.
Two organizations went further. They assigned criminal culpability to the Israeli officers who reportedly ordered the attack. The Hind Rajab Foundation and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against seven Israeli Defense Force officers, including Major Gen. Tomer Bar. Lieutenant Gen. Eyal Zamir, Major Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gen. “A” (Unit 8200), Palmachim Airbase Commander, “Black Snake” Sq Commander, and Colonel Avichay Adraee, according to the HRF.
HRF chairman Dyab Abou Janjah said the filing is part of a larger effort to seek justice for war crimes in the ongoing genocide. The foundation is documenting and filing cases not only in the ICC but also in national courts. They name not only military leaders but rank-and-file soldiers.
“It’s a cumulative effort this filing and other filings…. It is something for the long haul,” Janjah said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “But it is something that is instrumental in seeking justice. We are convinced this justice will eventually be served.”
War Crime: Killing Journalists
International Humanitarian Law is written to protect journalists, even in conflict and war.
“Journalists and media workers must be respected, they must be protected and they must be allowed to carry out their work freely, free from fear and free from harassment,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
The PCHR says the ICC has jurisdiction to investigate the crime and hold the perpetrators accountable under Article 8 of its charter, the Rome Statute.
“PCHR asserts that the targeting of journalists intends to isolate the victim and prevent the documentation of Israel’s genocidal acts against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the rights organization said.
Israel does not allow international journalists to enter Gaza to report independently. The PCHR also asks the UN Special Rapporteur Francisca Albanese to protect journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory.
ICC Itself is Under Attack
It should be noted that the ICC itself is under attack by Israel and the United States, catching the attention and concern of its host country, the Netherlands.
It’s part of a weakening of the international system of justice meant to provide a basic level of protection for people throughout the world.
Complaints to the ICC are made in writing to an oversight office of the court. The court is investigating 33 cases. In November 2024, it filed arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders. The warrant against al-Qassam Brigade leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri has since been closed due to notification of his death. The warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant are considered “at large,” meaning the cases are open and awaiting arrest.
IDF Targeted Strike
The deadly drone strike against journalists living in a tent at the al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza took place just before midnight on August 10. It killed seven people: Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqea, cameraman Ibrahim Zaher, cameraman and crew driver Mohammed Noufal, cameraman Moamen Aliwa, Sahaat media journalist Mohammed al-Khaldi, and Saber Nayif Sa’d Jundiya, another civilian who did not work for the media.
The IDF claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming it was targeting Anas al-Sharif. It had previously put a target on the journalist’s back with unsubstantiated claims of association with Hamas.
According to the Financial Times, “The allegations could not be verified, and have been made against several other journalists at Arabic language outlets.”
Reporting on the Famine
In recent weeks, al-Sharif reported about the famine in Gaza—which Israeli officials deny despite widespread and credible evidence. In July, al-Sharif posted a plea to organizations and individuals, asking them to speak up for his protection.
“Once again, the Israeli army spokesperson has launched a campaign of threats and incitement against me because of my work as a journalist with Al Jazeera,” he wrote. “I reaffirm: I, Anas Al-Sharif, am a journalist with no political affiliations. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground — as it is, without bias. At a time when a deadly famine is ravaging Gaza, speaking the truth has become, in the eyes of the occupation, a threat.”
HRF’s Janjah said Israel’s unapologetic killing of Palestinian journalists shows the level of immunity they are operating under.
“The smearing is actually preparing the ground for assassination. It’s part of the crime,” he said.
Targeted Attack on Truth Tellers
The HRF and PCHR assert the attack is part of a larger targeted killing campaign by the Israeli military against journalists. In the past 22 months, Israel has killed 237 journalists. (The figures vary by reporting agency between 180 to 270.) Of those killed, 50 lost their lives while carrying out their professional duties, Reporters Without Borders reported. The Israeli military targeted others while they were off duty. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate documented bombings of 152 houses of journalists, resulting in 665 deaths. Furthermore, hundreds more have been injured.
‘Mission is Now Ours’
The August attack on the tent of journalists crossed another red line of morality and law, particularly among truth-seekers.
While some news outlets like NBC News and the New York Times parroted IDF statements, others called them out for complicity in war crimes.
“You are part of the murder of your colleagues if you stood silent or if you, in any way, gave justification to the dehumanization, propaganda agenda that leads to the murder of some of the greatest journalist heroes in modern history,” Jeremy Scahill of Dropsite News posted. “This is what it is: They are murdering in record numbers journalists.”
With the systemic killing of journalists in Gaza, some individuals around the world are taking on more responsibility to carry forward the light of truth.
“We’ll carry his voice forward until justice prevails. His mission is ours now, and we won’t stop until our brothers and sisters are free,” one Instagram user wrote in tribute.
