JUST IN: Israel Must Explain Bombing Of Media Houses In Gaza, Journalists React

A nonprofit organization known as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reacted to the bombing of media houses in Gaza, Palestine, by the Israel Defense Forces.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that in a retaliatory attack on the Hamas organization, an Israeli military airstrike razed down a building hosting Al Jazeera and Associated Press (AP) media platforms in Gaza, Palestine.

Explaining its decision, the IDF alleged on Saturday that the building also hosted Hamas military intelligence.

“IDF fighter jets struck a multi-story building containing Hamas military intelligence assets. The building contained civilian media offices, which Hamas hides behind and deliberately uses as human shields,” it tweeted.

But the CPJ Executive Director, Joel Simon, claimed that Israel was attacking media houses so as to silence them from accurately reporting the ongoing developments in the region.

Simon further called on Israel to explain why it razed the media houses.

“This latest attack on a building long known by Israel to house international media raises the specter that the Israel Defense Forces is deliberately targeting media facilities in order to disrupt coverage of the human suffering in Gaza.

“We demand that the Israeli government provide a detailed and documented justification for this military attack on a civilian facility given the possible violation of international humanitarian law. Journalists have an obligation and duty to cover unfolding events in Gaza and it would be illegal for the IDF to use military means to prevent it, ” Simon said.

On its part, AP issued a statement expressing shock at the incident.

It stated that Israel’s major ally, the United States, should quickly intervene.

AP’s full statement reads: “We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza. They have long known the location of our bureau and knew journalists were there. We received a warning that the building would be hit.

“We are seeking information from the Israeli government and are engaged with the U.S. State Department to try to learn more.

“This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time.

“The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today.”