Türkiye slams Israel's attack on journalists as tank targets TRT team

Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has strongly condemned Israel's targeted attacks against press members following an attack on the Nuseirat camp in Palestine's Gaza, which wounded several journalists including with TRT Arabi channel.

"No matter what, we will continue to tell the world about Israel's atrocities against civilians," Altun said in an interview with TRT following the attack on Friday afternoon.

TRT Arabi cameraperson Sami Shehadeh, part of a crew reporting from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, was grievously wounded and lost his leg following the attack. According to eyewitness accounts, the Israeli army deliberately targeted the group of journalists.

Altun stressed that Tel Aviv is also waging war against truth by "deliberately, intentionally targeting" journalists on the ground as he wished a speedy recovery to the injured press members.

"Israel has been committing these atrocities for a long time. It has been able to do this because there is no strong opposition from the Western world," he added.

"We condemn this vile attack. This is terrorism. This terrorism must stop and the Western world must oppose this brutality as soon as possible," Altun later said on X, emphasising that those who remain silent against these "systematic attacks" are "complicit in Israel's crime of genocide".

TRT's Director General Zahid Sobaci condemned the attack, describing it as a "brutality" with "no moral, legal or humanitarian limits."

'Gaza is the clearest litmus test'

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz wished a speedy recovery for Shahada and extended his sympathies to the entire TRT community.

"Israel cannot cover up its massacres and crimes against humanity with attacks on journalists," Yilmaz said in a statement on X.

Yilmaz called on the international press and self-declared "champions of press freedom" to recognise these crimes and take a stand.

"Gaza is the clearest litmus test for democracy, fundamental rights, and press freedom," he said.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also wished Shahada a speedy recovery and called on the international community to raise its voice to protest crimes against humanity.

Chief presidential adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic extended his condolences to the wounded journalist and the entire TRT family.

"We once again condemn the Israeli army, which brutally murdered Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, for targeting members of the press who bring the humanitarian situation in the region to the world's agenda," Omer Celik, spokesman for Türkiye's Justice and Development [AK] Party, said on X.

Ozgur Ozel, head of the main opposition Turkish Republican People's Party, condemned Israel's targeting of journalists during the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr.

140 journalists killed by Israel

This is not the first time that the Israeli army has targeted journalists in Gaza during its war that has been ongoing for more than half a year. According to the Gaza Media Office, at least 140 journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Israel's war on besieged Palestinians of Gaza, now in its 189th day, has killed at least 33,545 Palestinians and wounded 76,094 others.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, starving.

The Israeli war has pushed 85 percent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to do more to prevent starvation crisis in Gaza. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said recently there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.