OP-ED: Gaza — It’s Time for Global Responsibility

A year has slipped by since the poignant day of October 7, 2023, when Anthony Bellanger, the General Secretary at the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), voiced discontent over the United Nations’ inertia, boldly highlighting the worldwide community’s inaction.

From that fateful day onward, only shadows have cloaked Palestine in a never-ending night.

Over those 12 tense months, the IFJ, an all-encompassing organization representing a colossal 600,000 media maestros across 150 lands, documented a staggering loss—138 journalists perished amid the Gaza turmoil. Among them, 127 hailed from Palestine, complemented by five Lebanese, four Israeli, and one Syrian. These figures sketch a harrowing chapter in journalism’s history.

To paint a perspective, the Ukraine-Russia strife, spanning 32 moons, claimed 18 Ukrainian journalists—an altogether brutal toll but incomparable to Gaza’s plight.

Diligent investigation by the IFJ, partnering with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), uncovered unsettling truths: many journalists were picked off by the Israeli forces, an act demanding cessation by the International Court of Justice as of October 2023, under the binding directives of international legislation. The Gaza war has rippled into Lebanon—a tale penned under Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s watchful eye.

Defying international norms laid bare at the United Nations, Netanyahu boasts of military actions against non-combatants, cloaked under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism.’ Yet, post-analysis of American ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan unveils that haphazard aggression not only misses its mark but strengthens radical zeal.

Sowing blind strikes on civilians reaps a bitter harvest—generations born of anguish and vendetta.

Since October 2023, the IFJ sounded countless alarms aimed at the United Nations. The cries for ceasefires to shelter civilians from Gaza’s confines (a mere quarter of Paris’ spread) fell on deaf ears. Calls resounded for humanitarian aid and journalist safety gear, along with pleas to welcome foreign reporters into Gaza’s crucible. But silence prevails. The Netanyahu administration remains unmoved, despite UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ unyielding efforts.

In a blatant affront, Israel continues its barrage, largely funded by the United States (68%) and Germany (30%).

LOSS OF HUMANITY

Following Hamas’ grave assault in southern Israel on October 7, leaving over 1,200 dead and 251 hostages, the IFJ urged journalists everywhere to cling to truth and scrutiny—greatly needed against one of the decade’s gross fabrications concerning the so-called ‘beheaded babies’ narrative.

Such incidents kindled editorial strife, with some fearing pro-Palestinian labels, while others worried about pandering to Israeli narratives.

This parochial professionalism birthed a self-censorship, reducing Palestinians to ghosts without a voice to recount their torment.

When network paths breathe life, Gazan journalists’ social platforms become the sole window for the outside world to gaze through, amidst a global media seemingly aloof to Gaza’s unending tragedy.

Members of the PJS and the IFJ remain, the only torchbearers recording this ordeal, risking all to capture moments on their scant, costly phones. Facing Palestinians’ dehumanization, Israeli journalists admit, bluntly stated by Channel 14’s Hallel Bitton-Rosen to AFP, “We back those defending our land against the malevolent ones who wrought havoc.”

Propaganda or Genuine Self-Censorship?

Yet, some journalists, worthy of their mantle, strive on, verifying war details and cross-referencing both sides’ yarns with integrity.

MEDIA SUPPORT HUBS

The IFJ, alongside its sister unions, funneled hundreds of thousands of euros to Gaza’s journalists via its International Safety Fund. By July’s end, the first sanctuary for the media rose in Khan Younis’ territory. Since then, we’ve seen three such centers, thanks to UNESCO’s kind hand, but it’s a half-measure at best. Gazan scribes, resolved to pen their ordeal, earn the IFJ’s unwavering backing.

As the anniversary of October 7’s blood-drenched memory nears, it highlights the UN’s glaring inadequacies akin to the League of Nations in WW2. The Security Council, frozen and futile, watches an emboldened Israeli regime exploit impunity. In Gaza’s dust, future historians will critique a fractured global society—where East and West failed to unify, instead feeding Israel’s war machine. It’s time for global actors to step up.

International tribunals must charge Israeli and Hamas leaders for war crimes and humanity violations, bringing other leaders to book for their complicity.

A Palestinian journalist’s words in September resonate loud and distressing: “Expect nothing beyond the IFJ, for we’ve lost all we hold dear, even life itself. If ever hell manifests, I indeed reside within it. A massacre beyond an outsider’s comprehension.”

AUTHOR :

Anthony Bellanger, blends French heritage with Belgian roots, stands as both journalist and historian. At the IFJ since 2015 as its General Secretary, he once served as Deputy Secretary. Since 2020, he’s also instructed international journalism in Louvain, Belgium.

With 27 years writing for French media and time spent as General Secretary of the Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ) in France, he also bears a history PhD from the University of Angers, France.

DISCLAIMER: Views in this piece are solely those of the author, not necessarily echoing Axadle’s editorial posture.

Hope this version adds fresh tones while delivering clarity and human warmth alongside substantial fact-based reporting.