The World Community must unequivocally and forcefully denounce the demolition of buildings that housed media institutions on Gaza Street and the senseless attacks against civilians by Israel
Media Organizations Collective
The Israeli attacks have demolished a high-rise building in the Palestinian Gaza Strip occupied by media institutions, seriously threatening the safety of journalists and media freedom. According to foreign media reports, the attack carried out on 13th May has completely destroyed the Al-Shorouk Tower, which housed about 15 media institutions, including local media as well as foreign media institutions such as Al Jazeera and the Associated Press. The equipment of the media institutions was destroyed in this attack. The 11th May attack on the Al-Jawhara tower has also destroyed about 13 media institutions. The “Media Organizations Collective” of Sri Lanka is appalled by these attacks and strongly condemns the bombings carried out knowing that media institutions were housed in these buildings, as well as all attacks that pose a serious threat to media freedom and safety of journalists.
Children along with civilians are being killed or wounded by the Israeli shelling and rocket attacks on Gaza, which is in direct violation of Article 13 of Part II of the Geneva Convention. The destruction of media institutions destroys the inalienable right of journalists to communicate this information to the world. As a result of such destructive attacks, the safety of local and international journalists and media institutions operating in the Gaza Strip has been seriously threatened. Israeli journalists have also been harassed, according to media reports. The ‘Media Organizations Collective’, which expresses its solidarity with the journalists in Sri Lankan branches of foreign media institutions, destroyed and threatened, call on the entire world community, including the United Nations Security Council and the International Media to exert all possible influence to ensure the safety of journalists and civilians threatened by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.