Statement on the killings of two Palestinian journalists in Gaza on 24 March 2025

We are horrified by the news that Israel killed two Palestinian journalists in Gaza on 24 March 2025. The two journalists are Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour.

According to Committee to Protect Journalists, Mr Hossam Shabat, who worked for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was killed in a strike on his car, while Mr Mohammed Mansour, who worked for Palestine Today TV, a pro-Islamic Jihad outlet, was killed in an attack on his home in Khan Yunis.

Mr Shabat, who was 23 at the time of his death, was one of the few journalists who had remained in northern Gaza, covering the unfathomable level of destruction and humanitarian disaster there.

The nature of the attacks raises suspicions that both men may have been directly targeted. If that is indeed the case, it would be far from the first time that Israeli military has targeted journalists during the war, as documented by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), among others.

Unfounded allegations

In the early stages of the war, Israel accused Mr Shabat of being a member of a militant group. In keeping with a number of similar accusations it has made against journalists throughout the war, it did not provide any proof to substantiate the claim.

At this stage, we’re appalled yet sadly unsurprised that Israel is continuing the killing spree it has been on since the onset of its war on Gaza – a rampage that has so far claimed the lives of at least 170 journalists and media workers.

Once more reiterating that it is a crime under international law to attack journalists and any other civilians not directly involved in hostilities, we call on all countries and actors with leverage over Israel, especially the U.S and the European Union, to put maximum pressure on Israel to:

– Immediately cease its illegal practice of targeting and killing journalists and other media workers.

– Put an end to decades of rampant impunity for killings of Palestinian journalists, including by ensuring that these two latest and possibly targeted killings, along with the many before them, are thoroughly and credibly investigated.

– Stop its dangerous and deplorable practice of issuing unsubstantiated accusations against Palestinian journalists of involvement in hostilities.

In a statement posted on the day of his death, Mr Shabat said:

“If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed—most likely targeted—by the Israeli occupation forces… For past 18 months… I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury… I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is free.”