IDF says it cannot guarantee safety of journalists reporting from Gaza

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has said that it cannot take responsibility for the safety of international journalists covering the war in Gaza, news agency Reuters has reported.

The announcement comes after international news agencies Reuters and Agence France Presse (AFP) contacted the Israeli military earlier this week to seek its assurance on the safety of their journalists reporting in Gaza and that they would not be targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

In a letter addressed to Reuters and Agence France, IDF said that they are “targeting all Hamas military activity throughout Gaza” and that Hamas has deliberately put military operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians”.

The IDF also noted that its high-intensity strikes on Hamas targets could cause damage to surrounding buildings and that Hamas rockets could also misfire and kill people inside Gaza.

“Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety,” the IDF letter concluded.

“The situation on the ground is dire, and the IDF’s unwillingness to give assurances about the safety of our staff threatens their ability to deliver the news about this conflict without fear of being injured or killed,” Reuters said in a statement in response to receiving the Israel military letter.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 27 journalists have been killed since the war began, mostly in Gaza but also in Israel and southern Lebanon.

With inputs from agencies