The first of its kind: 200 media outlets turn off their front pages and radio programs in protest against the targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

In an unprecedented global move, nearly 200 media outlets from 50 countries will simultaneously disable their front pages, main websites, and even radio programs today, Monday, to demand an end to the targeting of journalists in Gaza and to call for enabling international journalism to access the besieged sector.

This "exceptional" action is organized by the organization "Reporters Without Borders" in collaboration with the global campaigning movement "Avaaz" and the International Federation of Journalists, and printed newspapers are set to release black front pages carrying a unified message.

This move comes at a time when international organizations have described the situation in Gaza as "the deadliest massacre against journalists in modern times," with the number of martyrs among them rising to more than 240 journalists since October 7, 2023.

The occupying authorities have prevented foreign media from entering Gaza for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists exposed to gunfire.

The Director-General of Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, stated: "At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, the entire world will soon lose the ability to keep up with the latest developments."

He added: "This is not just a war on Gaza; it is a war on journalism itself. Journalists are being killed, targeted, and their reputations are being tarnished. Without them, who will speak about famine, who will expose war crimes, and who will condemn genocide?"

After ten years of the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopting its resolution 2222, we are witnessing, before the eyes of the entire world, the erosion of international law guarantees to protect journalists.

The solidarity of media and journalists around the world is essential. They must be thanked: the brotherhood of journalists is what will save freedom.

Andrew Leigon, Campaign Director at Avaaz, said: "It is very clear that Gaza has turned into a graveyard for journalists for a good reason. The far-right government in Israel is trying to finish the job in secrecy, away from the eyes of the press."

If the last witnesses are silenced, the killing will not stop; it will pass unnoticed. That is why we unite with newsrooms around the world today to say: "We cannot, and we will not allow this to happen!"

Anthony Bellanger, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists, stated: "Every journalist killed in Gaza was a colleague, a friend, or a family member. They risked everything to convey the truth to the world, and they paid for it with their lives."

The public's right to know has been severely harmed as a result of this war. We demand justice and a United Nations international convention on the safety and independence of journalists.

The General Supervisor of Official Media, Minister Ahmed Assaf, welcomed the honorable move of international media regarding the deliberate targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Minister Assaf praised the initiative of the International Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, in a step he considered extremely important to expose the crimes of the occupation and to unveil them before the world.

He confirmed that the Palestinian media narrative has achieved a real victory during the ongoing aggression of the occupation against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, despite seventy years of the occupation's attempts to obscure the truth and distort reality.

He pointed out that the crimes committed by the occupying state against Palestinian journalists, including killing, arresting, and direct targeting of media crews, come within a systematic policy to obscure the image and hide the truth from the world.

He emphasized that the Palestinian official media has not been immune from the deliberate killing machine, as more than 240 Palestinian journalists have been martyred in an attempt to silence the voice and kill the image.

He affirmed that these sacrifices have not weakened the determination of Palestinian journalists; rather, they have increased their resolve to continue their national and humanitarian mission in defense of Palestinian rights and in rejection of the policies of displacement and killing pursued by the occupying government.

He added that the unity of the Palestinian and Arab media stance, and the solidarity of free peoples around the world, has significantly contributed to restoring the Palestinian cause in international media, despite the occupation's repeated attempts to obscure the facts and distort the image of the Palestinian people.

In turn, the head of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, Nasser Abu Baker, commented: This is the largest international solidarity operation, which has come as a result of a significant movement we are undertaking in support and advocacy campaigns for Palestinian journalists, in collaboration with media institutions, journalists, and unions at all levels.

He noted that the campaign is the beginning