The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) condemns the killings and continued attacks against journalists in the Gaza Strip amid the war between the Israeli government and Hamas.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as of November 30, 57 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinians, have been killed since the fresh hostilities began on October 7. Eleven others were reportedly injured, while three were reportedly missing and 19 reportedly arrested.

These journalists were doing their jobs to report the state of the ongoing war that has displaced millions. FOCAP calls for an immediate investigation into the deaths of its colleagues, as well as the reported threats to journalists and targeting of media outlets.

FOCAP affirms that journalists are the world’s eye to places like the war-torn Gaza Strip. They ensure that the rights of civilians, including women and children, are protected. The opposing parties should not target them.

FOCAP also calls on the Israeli government to observe and uphold press freedom amid the ongoing conflict. Moves to shut down any media organizations are tantamount to muzzling the people’s rights to freedom of information and the press—rights that are embodied in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Article 19 of the UDHR states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

In a precarious situation, such as in Gaza, the world has the right to know what is happening in the region. FOCAP, a Manila-based group composed of journalists working for international media organizations, was founded in 1974 to safeguard press freedom.