« Each journalist killed deserves an investigation » – Liberation
Saturday, March 15, the Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Samir Isleem Al-Basos was killed by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the north of the Gaza Strip. A few days earlier, Taking advantage of the truce now overhe tried with a drone to document the extent of the destruction caused by war In the enclave since the start of the Israeli offensive, following terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. His name, now, is added to the list of nearly 170 media professionals killed in the Gaza Strip for two and a half years, According to data from the Committee for the Protection of Journalists. A massacre on which journalists of the Forbidden Stories platform have been working for months, as part of the collaborative « Gaza Project ». The latter, who work for twelve prestigious media around the world, publish this Thursday, March 27 A new series of surveys on the subject.
“We investigated the conditions under which the journalists were struck. The war in Gaza is quite unique: It is a black hole of information. No foreign journalist has access to the field since October 7, or in conditions very supervised by the Israeli army ”, Recalls Laurent Richard, the founder of Forbidden Stories. Based on the analysis of confidential videos and documents or direct testimonies, the authors sought to determine whether the victims had been intentionally targeted by the Israeli army.
This is what suggest, for example, The information gathered on the case of Fadi al-Wahidiparalyzed with both legs after being seriously injured by an aerial strike in October, while he was in an area not concerned by Israeli evacuation orders, wore an identified press vest and that professional equipment was arranged around him. « Even now, my ears hear the balls bounce on the door and on the walls next to me. It was a (attempt) of targeted assassination. It was a direct shot ”, testifies the 25 -year -old young man.
The authors were also interested to targeting journalists who use drones to film the ruins of Gaza. Due in particular to « The absence of clear rules transmitted to soldiers to distinguish journalists using drones from combatants », At least five of them were killed or seriously injured by « Precision shots », According to the investigation. Result: almost all of them have given up the use of the drone. Forbidden Stories endeavors to continue the work of those who were killed or injured-this is what Mahmoud Samir Isleem al-Basos did before losing his life in turn.
« Those who attack journalists make fun of statements and press releases, but they fear seeing their own misdeeds exposed. Our role is not to advocate, but to reveal the information that some would like to hide ”, insists Laurent Richard. « Each journalist killed deserves an investigation », Acquires Hoda Osman, editor -in -chief of Arij, the network of Arab investigation journalists, which participates in Gaza Project.
