Turkish journalists and representatives from press unions staged a protest outside the Israeli Consulate General in İstanbul on Tuesday, condemning what they described as systematic violations of press freedom and the targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, calling on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel for its actions, the Anka news agency reported.
In a joint statement during the demonstration, press freedom advocates accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law and demanded accountability for the killing of 225 journalists, citing data attributed to media watchdogs.
“We condemn the Israeli state for killing 225 journalists in violation of the laws of war and humanitarian principles,” the statement read. “The world is witnessing the daily bombardment of civilians and the deliberate targeting of media workers. We reject the silence of the international community in the face of this violence.”
The protest was organized by a coalition of professional organizations, including the Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), and the DİSK Press Workers’ Union. Key representatives such as TGC Secretary-General Sibel Güneş, RSF Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu, TGS President Gökhan Durmuş and DİSK Basın-İş President Turgut Dedeoğlu attended the protest.
Chanting slogans such as “Long live our solidarity with Palestine,” “Zionism will fall, resisting Palestine will win” and “Free Palestine from the river to the sea,” demonstrators urged international diplomatic and political bodies to abandon their passivity and enact enforceable sanctions against Israel.
The group also demanded that Israeli authorities immediately allow international journalists access to Gaza and that Israel be held accountable for the killings and starvation of Palestinian journalists.
“Our Palestinian colleagues are not alone,” the statement concluded. “We call on journalists in neighboring countries to amplify this message coming from Turkey.”
There are different figures about the number of journalists killed in Gaza in Israeli strikes so far.
According to a report by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War project in April, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 232 journalists, an average of 13 per month, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded.
The report explained it was unclear how many Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been specifically targeted by Israeli attacks and “how many were simply the victims, like tens of thousands of fellow civilians, of Israel’s bombardment.”
However, it cites the RSF as documenting 35 cases where Israel’s military had likely targeted and killed journalists because of their work by the end of 2024.
The attacks on journalists in Gaza, where nearly no foreign correspondents have been granted access, have intensified a trend where local reporters — often underpaid and under-resourced — face the greatest risks, according to the Costs of War project.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 142,000 since October 7, 2023.
Two prominent human rights organizations in Israel on Monday joined a number of international rights organizations, UN human rights experts and scholars in accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel released separate reports on Monday based on studies of the past 21 months of conflict, saying Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and that the country’s Western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is also examining a case brought by South Africa alleging that Israeli forces are committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Last week BBC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters released a joint statement, expressing desperate concern for journalists in Gaza, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.
Those reporting the conflict from Gaza now face starvation and “the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,” a joint statement from the organizations said.
“For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza,” it reads.
International news outlets rely on local reporters in Gaza, as Israel does not allow foreign media to send journalists into the territory.