Al Jazeera Media Network has issued an urgent plea to the international journalistic community, press freedom organizations, and legal bodies to intervene in the ongoing forced starvation and crimes against journalists in Gaza. For over 21 months, the Israeli bombardment and systematic starvation of Gaza's nearly two million people have created a dire humanitarian crisis. Al Jazeera journalists, reporting on the situation, face extreme hardship, risking their lives and their families' safety. On July 19, Al Jazeera journalists began sharing desperate messages on social media detailing their hunger and exhaustion. Anas al-Shariff, an Al Jazeera Arabic channel correspondent in Gaza, described his own struggle with hunger and exhaustion, stating, “I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment … Gaza is dying. And we die with it.”

Mostefa Souag, director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, emphasized the network's commitment to amplifying the voices of these journalists and ending their suffering. He highlighted the responsibility of the international community to support these journalists and prevent a complete information blackout. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed five Al Jazeera journalists: Samer Abudaqa, Hamza Dahdouh, Ismail al-Ghoul, Ahmed al-Louh, and Hossam Shabat, along with numerous family members of journalists.

Al Jazeera's call to action urges immediate intervention to end the forced starvation affecting journalists and the wider population of Gaza.

Impact Statement: The ongoing situation in Gaza risks silencing crucial reporting on a humanitarian crisis and constitutes a grave threat to press freedom and international humanitarian law.