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Rabat – Adding to a concerning pattern of targeting and killing journalists in Gaza, Israel claimed the lives of two journalists today in an airstrike near the southern Lebanese border with Israel.
The two journalists were reporter Farah Omar and photojournalist Rabih Al-Maamari, who worked for the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen.
The news was confirmed by the channel, which mourned the loss of the two journalists and said that they were deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.
Farah Omar was on air just an hour before the incident, reporting live on the latest developments in the region, according to the channel.
The channel’s chairman Ghassan Ben Jeddo expressed deep sorrow for the loss of the two journalists, stressing that the Israeli strike targeted the channel’s team with clear intent.
“The occupation directly targeted Al-Mayadeen’s team, and it was a deliberate and targeted attack,” he said.
He directly addressed the Israeli occupation, saying: “You will not be able to silence the voice of Al-Mayadeen, and know that we will persist no matter how many lives you take and attempts you make.”
Lebanon’s Prime Minister also blamed Israel, emphasizing that the attack was an attempt to silence the media, Reuters reported.
The incident falls into a pattern of targeting of pro-Palestine media crews by the Israeli forces..
Israel has blocked foreign press from entering Gaza and bombed around 50 media headquarters in the region.
In addition, the occupation forces killed the wife, daughter, and son of Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza.
Hundreds of journalists representing news organizations from across the world signed an open letter condemning the killing of journalists in Gaza while they were “visibly working as press.”
“As reporters, editors, photographers, producers, and other workers in newsrooms around the world, we are appalled at the slaughter of our colleagues and their families by the Israeli military and government,” the letter said.
