UN expert slams Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
Gaza (Quds News Network)- The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan has condemned Israel’s last week killing of two Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, urging that their deaths be prosecuted as a war crime.
“I strongly denounce the deliberate targeting by Israel of two journalists in Gaza, which adds to an already appalling toll of reporters and media workers killed in this war,” Irene Khan said in a statement.
Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli air attack on the Gaza Strip on July 31.
Ismail and Rami were wearing media vests and there were identifying signs on their car when they were attacked.
In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network called the killings a “targeted assassination” by Israeli forces and pledged to “pursue all legal actions to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes”.
“Given Israel’s failure to heed earlier calls for accountability, I urge the International Criminal Court to move swiftly to prosecute the killings of journalists in Gaza as a war crime and call on the international community to urgently consider the use of international mechanisms to investigate crimes against journalists in Gaza,” Khan added.
