Israel commits major genocide crime in Gaza: Altun

Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has emphasised that one cannot remain apathetic towards Israel's disinformation campaigns, as such indifference could result in the normalisation of the country's crimes.

Addressing a panel organised by Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, Altun expressed, "With events like this, the work we do in the field, and the images we collect, we will document Israel's massacres not as 'alleged' but as 'concrete evidence, proven war crimes.' Our effort is in this direction."

"Today, Israel is committing a major genocide crime in Gaza. Israel has committed and continues to commit many serious crimes recognised under the Rome Statute, especially genocide."

"Genocide is not merely a mass killing activity. Genocide is a comprehensive attack on the material and spiritual existence of people. Israel is not only massacring the people living in Gaza collectively but also committing a cultural genocide to destroy the region's spiritual existence," he added.

"Israel is trying to completely wipe out the existence of people with their culture, traditions, customs, and entire memory. The Israeli attacks on the Rafah area, where Israel has driven into people under the guise of a so-called safe zone in recent days, are a blatant example of its genocide policy. Today, humanitarian law is also completely ignored and violated by Israel in Gaza," Altun said.

The top official also drew attention to the importance of Anadolu Agency's book containing photographs proving Israeli crimes in Gaza, which was presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Disinformation campaign

Underlining Israeli efforts to conceal its massacres in Gaza, Altun said: "For this purpose, Israel is pursuing a comprehensive disinformation campaign, orchestrated by the state itself, to normalise the brutality and barbarism it imposes on Palestinians, particularly in Gaza."

"If we become desensitised, truths and facts will be replaced by lies and fake news. If we become desensitised, we would have normalised Israel's crimes and prevented its punishment," he added.

"Our centre for countering disinformation has disclosed nearly 200 disinformation efforts by Israel since October 7," Altun said, referring to the Türkiye's Communications Directorate Centre for Countering Disinformation. Altun recalled that Israel directly targets and murders journalists who try to convey the truth in the region.

"It cannot be a coincidence that 75 percent of the journalists killed in 2023 lost their lives in Gaza."

So far, 130 journalists have been killed by Israel while they were on duty, including Anadolu Agency cameraman Montaser Al Sawaf, he added. "We will make every effort to prevent Israel's activities aimed at concealing the truth and distorting reality from succeeding," Altun said.

"Unfortunately, while we exert these efforts, a considerable portion of the Western media is also making intense efforts to make Israel's massacres invisible."

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an attack by Hamas on October 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 29,000 and injured over 69,000 others.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85 percent of the territory'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 stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.