Israel has killed at least five Al Jazeera journalists since the beginning of the genocidal war.

Al Jazeera has called on global bodies “to take decisive action” to halt Israel’s forced starvation and attacks on journalists in the Gaza Strip, where severe hunger threatens the lives of 2.1 million people.

“The journalists on the ground, who have courageously reported on this ongoing genocide, have risked their lives and the safety of their families to shed light on these atrocities. However, they now find themselves fighting for their own survival,” Al Jazeera said in a press release on Wednesday.

Israel has systematically starved Palestinians in the Gaza Strip throughout the 21-month genocide, intensifying since it fully blocked aid access on March 2.

Journalists on the ground, including Al Jazeera’s Anas Al-Sharif, have relentlessly covered the starvation while trying to survive amid the complete absence of resources.

“I say it outright…And with indescribable pain. I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment…Gaza is dying. And we die with it,” Al-Sharif said in a social media post on July 19.

Mostefa Souag, Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network, said in the press release that “the journalistic community and the world bear an immense responsibility” towards protecting journalists on the ground.

“It is our duty to raise our voices and mobilise all available means to support our colleagues in this noble profession. If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories. Our inaction will be recorded in history as a monumental failure,” he said.

Israel has targeted the press, especially Al Jazeera, since the beginning of the genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, where it killed more than 61,700 Palestinians.

Amnesty International called for the protection of Al-Sharif on Wednesday, noting he is “being directly threatened and targeted by Israeli forces” for his work. 

The Al Jazeera journalist has been subjected to a major incitement campaign by Israeli officials for his coverage, prompting demands by journalism bodies to protect him. Israel had also killed his father on December 11, 2023, in an airstrike on his home in Jabalia.

Israel has killed at least five Al Jazeera journalists since the beginning of the genocidal war including Samer Abu Daqqa, Hamza Dahdouh, Ismael Al-Ghoul, Ahmed Al-Louh, and Hossam Shabat.

The journalists are among at least 231 journalists killed by Israel since October 7, 2023.

Occupation forces also targeted the families of journalists and media staff as a method to threaten them to stop their coverage.

“Submission to such intimidation would have resulted in an almost total blackout of coverage of the ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and crimes against humanity inflicted upon the civilian population of Gaza,” Al Jazeera said.

Starvation is on the rise in the Gaza Strip, leading to the death of at least 86 people, including 76 children, as a result of malnutrition. Israel has also killed more than 1,000 Palestinians at aid distribution sites, which have been widely labelled as “death traps”.