Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has lashed out at Israel's "systematic targeting" of journalists in the strongest terms, accusing Tel Aviv of trying to cover up the destruction it brought upon Palestine's Gaza by intimidating journalists.
Altun's remarks came after Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf, who was in occupied East Jerusalem for work, got gravely injured when he was attacked by Israeli soldiers on Friday and had to be hospitalised.
"Israel’s violence against journalists is clearly part of their campaign to silence the international media," Altun wrote on X, condemning the attacks on civilians which have caused the deaths of more than 60 journalists, and wishing Alkharouf a speedy recovery.
"The Israeli forces refuse to do the bare minimum to protect journalists. On the contrary, they are only interested in preventing media workers from doing their jobs to report the truth from the ground," he added.
Accusing Israel of habitually violating international norms that safeguard the public’s right to accurate information, Altun said Israel has been "trying to cover up the devastation on the ground by intimidating journalists" in an effort to "minimize the international reaction".
"Their efforts to create a blackout of their war crimes in Gaza will continue to fail. The world has already seen so much thanks to the bravery of media workers and news professionals," he added.
18,787 Palestinians killed
Altun noted that Israel’s campaign to terrorise and displace the civilian population in Gaza has already resulted in more than 18,000 civilian deaths.
Israel has bombarded Gaza from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7.
At least 18,787 Palestinians have since been killed and 50,897 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while 135 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.
