We, the undersigned journalists and media workers in the Seattle area, condemn Israel’s continued attacks on members of the press.
On Monday, Israeli airstrikes hit Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killing at 20 people, including five journalists: Reuters photojournalist Hussam al-Masri, Al Jazeera photojournalist Mohammad Salama, Associated Press freelancer Mariam Abu Daqqa, photographer Moaz Abu Taha, and Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmad Abu Aziz. This comes just weeks after Israel bombed a clearly marked media tent, killing several media workers, including prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif.
And those journalists are far from anomalies. According to the Committee To Protect Journalists, at least 197 journalists and media workers have died in Israel and occupied Palestine between Oct. 7, 2023 and Aug. 25, 2025. That death toll tops all other wars. In fact, more journalists have died covering Israel’s assault on Gaza than in the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav Wars, the War in Afghanistan, and the ongoing Ukraine War combined.
It is clear that Israel is targeting the press in an attempt to suppress the truth. Palestinian journalists have been systematically killed, harassed, censored, and silenced, all the while Israel has blocked international journalists from entering Gaza. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian journalists, who have shown extraordinary courage in continuing their critical work through bombardment, forced displacement, starvation and the genocide of their people. Their voices matter. Their lives matter.
We urge fellow media professionals, institutions, and press freedom advocates around the world to join us in using their platforms to call for the protection of journalists. We also urge reporters to learn from the work of Palestinian journalists by humanizing Palestinians in their coverage, checking their anti-Arab bias and Islamophobia, and reporting fairly on local stories related to community members who are standing in solidarity with Gaza.
Updated list of signatories can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HX81e_V0Wc0ziZgSHVStAdN47A08iyD8_ah-PTuLa8M/edit?usp=sharing
