Israel’s intentional targeting of journalists unacceptable: Türkiye's Comms Director Altun

Türkiye's communications director has condemned "Israel’s intentional targeting of journalists" and "Israel’s systematic campaign to deprive the world of an accurate picture of what is happening on the ground".

"We are deeply shocked by the killing of yet another colleague, Mohammad Abu Hattab, a Palestinian correspondent, along with 11 members of his family by an Israeli strike. I want to send my deepest condolences to his loved ones, most of whom have been massacred by this cowardly attack," Fahrettin Altun said on X on Friday.

"This terror must stop. The 'civilized world' must come to its senses by opposing this madness," the communications director added.

Reminding that 38 journalists have so far been killed in Israel's heavy attacks on Gaza since October 7, Altun said the ongoing killings and rights violations in the besieged Palestinian enclave are "unacceptable."

Pointing out that the majority of deaths include children, women, elderly, healthcare workers, and journalists, Altun said Israel’s indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Gaza have created apocalyptic scenes with thousands of civilian deaths.

"Dehumanisation of Gazans has reached unimaginable levels. Israel is also trying to muzzle any authentic voices from the ground by shamelessly attacking reporters who are only doing their job".

Reporters face high risks

Reminding the freedom of the press and the world’s right to accurate information, Altun said, Israel "clearly wants only their depiction and version of the events to be propagated by media organisations".

"The international community has failed to call out Israel about its attacks against the press, but it must still do so even if it’s too late for many of our colleagues," he added.

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on Gaza, which has been under relentless air strikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

Reporters in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of an Israeli ground assault on Gaza, devastating Israeli air strikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.