Seventeen United States senators have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning an Israeli strike in Gaza that killed several Al Jazeera journalists. The letter, made public on Wednesday, urged Washington to press Israel to allow foreign media into Gaza and to ensure the protection of journalists.
The letter was led by Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz and signed by 16 others, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Vermont’s Bernie Sanders. It follows the deaths of Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, as well as cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, who were killed in the attack last week.
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According to the Gaza Government Media Office, 238 journalists have been killed in the territory since October 2023. Al Jazeera has accused Israel of fabricating links between its staff and Hamas, denouncing what it described as a campaign of incitement against its reporters.
The senators also criticised wider restrictions on press freedom, citing the killings of journalists in Lebanon, harassment in the occupied West Bank and southern Syria, and censorship within Israel. Their letter further called on the US to make clear that targeting or censoring media organisations must stop.
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