Journalists, trade unionists, and human rights defenders united in anguish at Whitehall, London, for a vigil to mourn the Palestinian journalists and media workers slain by Israel in Gaza, as media union delivered a letter demanding justice to No.10.
Hundreds of people gathered for the vigil facing Downing Street on Wednesday to commemorate Palestinian journalists slain in Israeli attacks, including the latest examples at the Nasser Hospital on Monday.
The vigil, organised by the Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), saw hundreds of participants carrying banners bearing the names of Palestinian journalists who have paid the ultimate price whilst doing their jobs and reporting on the true scale of the plight and suffering of the civilian population in Gaza.
All of them were killed as a result of Israeli military strikes. The journalists killed in the Nasser Hospital attack were not even all of those killed by Israel on Monday – a sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan, who worked as a correspondent for Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper, was killed in a separate incident in Khan Younis later on Monday.
Ahead of the event, NUJ officials delivered a letter to No. 10 Downing Street, setting out their expectations of the UK government regarding the protection of reporters and journalists.
Speaking at the event, former BBC and LBC presenter Sangita Myska highlighted the death of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif.
She said he was “an important journalist for viewers” and recalled that, despite being listed as at risk of death by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), he was left unprotected and killed on Aug. 10.
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“Governments neither said anything nor did anything about this,” Myska said, adding that Israel had unjustifiably labelled Al-Sharif as a terrorist and stressed that “Israel still continues to threaten journalists.”
Myska described Palestinian journalists as “the bravest people in the world” and said “they continue their work despite Israeli attacks and threats. But the West belittles their profession.”
She also referred to five journalists killed in a recent Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital, who worked for major international media outlets including Reuters, The Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera.
Pennie Quinton, London Freelance branch chair, also made a powerful speech demanding action from the UK government, including supporting an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the blatant targeting of journalists and media workers by the IDF.
Amongst the journalists and supporters of Palestinian rights gathered for the vigil, was Labour MP and the NUJ parliamentary group secretary John McDonnell.
Criticising the international media coverage of the killings, Myska also highlighted the hypocrisy and double standards of the West.
“If Russia had killed five journalists on live broadcast, do you think the British media would have ignored it? I don’t think so. A Palestinian journalist being killed is not just the death of one person — it is the death of journalism.”
Palestinian journalist Ahmed Alnaouq also addressed the gathering saying: “Why does Israel kill journalists? Because it can. Because it knows it will answer to no one. Because reality is its greatest enemy. As long as no one opposes them, unfortunately, Israel will continue killing Palestinians.”
“The Palestinian journalists who were killed will not be forgotten; their stories will continue to be told, and we will shout their names,” he added.
The general secretary of the NUJ, Laura Davison, also attended and addressed those who had gathered for the sombre vigil.
“We owe a collective debt to those reporting from Gaza in the most horrendous of circumstances. They are representing our profession – that commitment to reporting what is happening on the ground whatever the cost. And they have paid the price. They are the eyes and ears of the world on the ground.”
The memorial ended with a reading of the names of the deceased journalists and a funeral prayer performed in absentia.
Similar vigils in memory of the killed Palestinian journalists were held across the UK, including Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
The new fatalities among the media personnel in Gaza brought the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023 to 270.
Israel has killed more than 62,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the Palestinian enclave.
