Al Jazeera demands immediate release of journalists detained by IDF, condemns targeted assaults on media personnel in Gaza

Al Jazeera urgently demands the immediate release of its correspondent, Ismail Alghoul, and other journalists currently detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), holding the IDF fully accountable for their safety.

According to Al Jazeera, the IDF perpetrated an attack on Ismail Alghoul in Gaza on Monday while he was carrying out his journalistic responsibilities. Subsequent to the assault, he was apprehended, and the broadcasting vehicle, along with cameras and equipment, was obliterated. Witnesses attested that Ismail was subjected to severe physical assault and then taken to an undisclosed location.

“Ismail Alghoul was apprehended this morning inside Al-Shifa Hospital alongside several other journalists while documenting the Israeli occupation forces’ aggression against the hospital”, the network reported.

Al Jazeera emphasizes that the targeting of Ismail Alghoul and other journalists constitutes a coercive tactic aimed at dissuading them from reporting on the egregious atrocities perpetrated by the IDF against innocent civilians in Gaza.

The targeting of Ismail Alghoul is part of a systematic series of assaults on Al Jazeera by the occupying authorities, which have included the assassinations of Shireen Abu Akleh, Samer Abu Daqqa, and Hamza Al-Dahdouh, the bombing of its Gaza office, the deliberate targeting of numerous journalists and their family members, and the detention and intimidation of its crews”, the network asserted.

Al Jazeera vehemently condemns the ongoing crimes committed by the IDF against journalists and media professionals in Gaza and reiterates its call for an immediate cessation of these appalling attacks.

Richmond Acheampong is a communication specialist, consultant, independent journalist and columnist. He holds a PhD in Journalism. He can be contacted through +233240389154, +233550818739 or achmondsky@gmail.com