The Israeli military told at least two international news agencies it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists who are reporting from Gaza, according to a reported letter.
Without assuring Reuters or Agence France-Presse of their concerns for possible employee deaths on the job, the Israel Defense Forces said it will continue “targeting all Hamas military activity” in Gaza, regardless of whether journalists are in the immediate area. The letter arrived this week after the two news organizations requested that their reporters not be targeted in Israel’s forceful retaliation against Hamas, Reuters reported Friday.
It’s unclear how many other news outlets, if any, received the letter.
The IDF added that Hamas is intentionally carrying out military operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians,” which is why “we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety.”
Both Reuters and Agence France-Presse released statements in response to the formal letter.
“The situation on the ground is dire, and the IDF’s unwillingness to give assurances about the safety of our staff threatens their ability to deliver the news about this conflict without fear of being injured or killed,” Reuters said in an official statement.
The French news agency’s global news director, Phil Chetwynd, said: “We are in an incredibly precarious position and it’s important that the world understands that there is a large team of journalists working in extremely dangerous conditions.”
The news came as internet and phone services were cut in the bombarded region Friday night, affecting Palestinian civilians and news reporters in the communications blackout. The IDF started conducting ground operations in northern Gaza then, without launching a full-scale invasion.
In the three weeks since the conflict began, Gaza-based journalists have been increasingly concerned about their own safety in the region, some even suggesting that Israel is purposefully targeting them in its attacks against Hamas.
On Thursday, an Al Jazeera reporter asked White House spokesman John Kirby if the Jewish state is doing such a thing. “I’ve not seen any indication whatsoever that Israel is going after journalists, in particular because of them trying to tell a story. I’ve seen absolutely zero evidence of that, and that’s an unfounded allegation,” Kirby responded.
The question and subsequent answer came one day after a separate Al Jazeera journalist’s family was killed in an Israeli air strike while they were based at a supposedly safe Gazan refugee camp. Kirby said he couldn’t “speak to the specifics of that case.”
As of Friday, at least 29 journalists, including 24 Palestinians, are confirmed dead since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. At least 17 journalists are reported injured, missing, or detained so far in Gaza, Israel, or southern Lebanon.