Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), accused Israel of ‘deliberately’ targeting journalists to ‘silence the voices’ reporting on Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

Lazzarini said Israel had killed more than 200 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip with impunity and expressed ‘horror’ at the targeted killing of six journalists on Sunday.

‘Israel has also prevented international journalists from reporting independently since the start of the war nearly two years ago,’ the UN official said, emphasising the need to protect journalists and for international media to enter Gaza to support the ‘heroic work’ of their Palestinian colleagues.

Lazzarini continued: ‘This is the only way to counter disinformation and prevent doubts about the scale of the atrocities being committed in Gaza.’

‘The denial of access to Gaza to international journalists prevents the world from getting the facts right and obscures the scale of the humanitarian crisis,’ Lazzarini said, adding that the free access of the media to the territory is vital to reveal the true face of the war.

Lazzarini also stated that the international community should not remain silent on this situation and that steps should be taken to protect freedom of the press.

Lazzarini emphasised the importance of accurate coverage of UNRWA's humanitarian activities in Gaza through the independent media, noting that obstruction of the flow of information complicates relief efforts.

On late Sunday, seven people, including Al Jazeera reporters and camera operators, were killed when an Israeli drone targeted a tent where journalists were staying at Al Shifa Hospital in western Gaza, raising the death toll to 238. (ILKHA)