'Massacring journalists': Media groups urge EU to halt treaty with Israel

Some 60 media and rights organisations have urged the European Union to suspend a cooperation accord with Israel and impose sanctions, accusing it of "massacring journalists" in Gaza.

On Monday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organisations called on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel in a joint statement.

The call comes "in response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas," it said.

The statement also demanded that the EU "adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible".

This comes ahead of a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on August 29.

Israeli government 'trampling' on treaty

Israel's devastating assault on Gaza "has been the deadliest for journalists in decades", the letter said.

"More than 130 Palestinian journalists and media professionals have been killed by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza since 7 October," it says.

"At least 30 of them were killed in the course of their work, three Lebanese journalists and an Israeli journalist have also been (killed) during the same period", it added.

"The targeted or indiscriminate killing of journalists, whether committed deliberately or recklessly, is a war crime", it said.

EU's association agreements with non-member countries are treaties that govern bilateral relations, including trade.

The agreement's Article 2 stipulates "respect for human rights and democratic principles", said Julie Majerczak, the head of RSF's Brussels office.

"The Israeli government is clearly trampling on this article. The EU, which is Israel's leading trade partner, must draw the necessary conclusions from this and must do everything to ensure that (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's government stops massacring journalists and respects the right to information and press freedom by opening media access to Gaza," she said.

Among the signatories were the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).