Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that, as of yesterday, the number of journalists killed since the start of the present escalation of the conflict in Gaza stands at 23. Three have been killed by Hamas and 20 have been killed by Israeli forces. Eight others are reported injured, and three are missing or detained. At a time when we are flooded with vast amounts of propaganda and falsehoods emanating from official Israeli Government sources, uncritically carried, often without property scrutiny, by various media outlets across the world, it has never been more important that journalists can operate freely in a conflict zone without being targeted by security forces. Sadly, it is evident, not least when one considers the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh last year by the IDF and its subsequent preposterous denial, that Israeli forces are targeting those reporting on the truths on the ground in Gaza. Given that the first casualty of war is truth, they are achieving this by killing journalists. Will the Government call out this behaviour?

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