IFJ declares February 26 International Day for Palestinian Journalists

AMMAN — With the Israeli war on Gaza taking its deadly toll on journalists, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that February 26 will mark the International Day in support of Palestinian journalists.

As the war in Gaza approaches its fifth month, the IFJ and many affiliates around the world are mobilising through public actions to support journalists and media workers in Palestine, notably its members of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the federation said in a statement on its website. 

“One hundred journalists were killed in four months, the equivalent of seven per week. This massacre is a terrible and unjustified tragedy,” IFJ said.

“The needs of our colleagues working in Gaza have become critical. In the middle of winter, our sisters and brothers and their families lack everything and especially the essentials: Clothes, blankets, tents, food, water... The scarcity of these basic necessities in this small territory of 40km long and 5km wide, that is subject to a blockade,  results in a surge in prices. Basic goods, where they are available, are no longer affordable.”

The IFJ said it is also alarmed by the poor international coverage of the conflict, resulting from the world media’s exclusion from the enclave by Israel. “All over the world we deserve to know what is going on in Gaza. This deliberate denial of the right to report is an abuse of media freedom.”

The Brussels-based IFJ called on press associations to organise activities on February 26 for what will be the International Day for Palestinian Journalists.