Press group decries Israel's targeting Gaza media offices

ANKARA

The International Federation of Journalists on Thursday denounced Israel's targeting of the Palestinian press and destroying buildings housing the media offices in Gaza.

In a statement, the federation said media offices had been bombed and Palestinian and international journalists arrested, beaten and threatened by Israeli forces amid escalating violence in the Gaza Strip.

It demanded "immediate international action to hold Israel accountable for its deliberate targeting of journalists and the media."

Commenting on the statement, the group's secretary-general, Anthony Bellanger, stressed that the international community "could not turn a blind eye to the systematic violations of human rights and the deliberate targeting of media and journalists."

The statement added that since tensions began rising in Jerusalem last month, around 27 media professionals had been detained by Israeli forces.

In the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza, warplanes destroyed several multi-story buildings in the enclave including buildings that host dozens of local and international media offices.

The attacks on Gaza have killed 83 Palestinians and injured 487 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.