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One of Israel’s best-selling pitches for many years, which has helped it maintain the support of the US and Europe while getting away with the occupation of Palestinian land and an aggressive foreign policy, was to keep repeating the mantra that it is “the only democracy in the Middle East.” In reality, for quite some time now, Israeli democracy has been a struggling one. It is in constant retreat in the face of nationalist, populist and religious authoritarian elements, one characteristic of which is the animosity held by the right-wing ruling parties toward the media. This phenomenon has been steadily growing ever since the onset of the war in Gaza.

No country can boast of being a liberal democracy when it treats journalists fulfilling their duty of honestly reporting from a war zone as if they were enemies of the state. Only last week, while visiting the UK, Israel’s president — in a role that is mainly symbolic — was claiming that all Israel’s actions fall within what is permissible under international law. But if this is so, we must ask him and his government: why are they blocking foreign media access to Gaza? Instead, it has been left to the extremely brave local Palestinian journalists to report from this Israeli-inflicted catastrophe, an unprecedented number of whom have already paid with their lives.

The number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, is at least 189, while the UN Human Rights Office puts the figure at 247. Both are equally shocking and should be disturbing not only for those in the media, but for anyone who consumes the news and cares for the protection of those who ensure we are aware of the truth.

The small territory of the Gaza Strip has become one of the most dangerous places on Earth to report from

Yossi Mekelberg

In 2012, the UN developed a multistakeholder global strategy to protect journalists and ensure their safety, recognizing the extreme dangers that come with the job. In 2023, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the powers that be to “stop targeting truth and truth-tellers. As journalists stand up for truth, the world stands with them.” Now, the small territory of the Gaza Strip has become one of the most dangerous places on Earth to report from.

And while Israeli officials claim that Gaza is a war zone — and hence that the danger to anyone there is ever-present — there are many cases in which there is evidence that journalists have either been targeted or their deaths could have been prevented had it not been for Israeli recklessness.

Moreover, there are some cases in which Israel has incriminated itself, such as the assassination of the very well-known Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif. Israel admitted immediately after his killing that he was the target of the airstrike and claimed that he was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell that had been planning attacks against Israeli civilians. Al-Sharif had always adamantly denied allegations of being a Hamas operative and, considering his very public and intensive reporting in a hostile environment — and without any conclusive evidence from Tel Aviv that he was a Hamas operative — it would take some convincing for people to accept Israel’s version of events, let alone its justification of them.

The attack that killed him also killed five other media workers while they were in a tent marked “PRESS” outside the entrance to the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, which renders even the slightest defense of this attack null and void. Journalists are protected by international law and killing them is a violation of it.

A few days later, Israel carried out back-to-back strikes on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, separated by only a matter of minutes. The first hit the facade of the hospital. Following that strike, emergency responders rushed to the scene, as did a number of journalists, only to be hit by the second strike.

The horrendous result was four Palestinian journalists killed on the spot, while a fifth later died of his wounds, and at least 10 other people were killed, including medical staff, rescue workers and patients. No full apology was given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who merely referred to the deaths as a “tragic mishap.” He would not promise that he and the military would do everything in their capacity to prevent such killings in the future.

This Israeli government is no friend to any journalist who is not parroting its narrative about almost anything

Yossi Mekelberg

The sad reality is that this Israeli government is no friend to any journalist who is not parroting its narrative about almost anything. Any critical journalism faces vitriolic attacks and, in the case of Gaza, international journalists are not allowed in and local reporters remain under constant threats to their lives.

Late last month, almost 30 countries, among them the UK, Germany, Canada, Japan and Australia, backed a statement by the Media Freedom Coalition that strongly condemned all violence against journalists and media workers in Gaza, “especially the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions.” In addition, they demanded free access to media tools and facilities in order to conduct their work freely and safely.

Sooner or later, the full truth of what is taking place in Gaza will come to light. But already, thanks to the courageous local Palestinian journalists who are prepared to sacrifice their lives to bear witness to the nonstop carnage that is taking place there, we know enough, and have known for many months how urgent is the need to bring this war to an end.

Those who have reported from Gaza over the last two years, and especially those who have paid for that with their lives, will be remembered for many generations to come. In their dedication, bravery and professionalism, they allowed us, in the comfort and safety of our homes and workplaces, to educate ourselves about the horrific situation there and lobby for it to stop, even if we have not yet succeeded. Their legacy will be passed on to future generations of journalists, wherever in the world they report from. For this, they should be protected and internationally recognized.

• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg