Tehran – On September 1, more than 250 news outlets from over 70 countries committed a power outage in unprecedented acts of solidarity, coordinating blank front pages, darkened homepages and suspended broadcasts.
The protest, organized by the Borderless Reporter (RSF) between Avaaz and the Federation of International Journalists (IFJ), gave rise to harsh warnings. Israel’s war with Gaza is also a war with journalism.
RSF Director Thibaut Bruttin said frankly.
The UK Independent readers had only blank covers. In France, La Croix and La Humane ran through blackened pages.
German Tageszeitung and Frankfurter Rundschau participated, but Al Jazeera (10 unique staff members) touched on the broadcast to read the joint statement. “War Crimes” is a network that Israel has vowed to continue reporting despite the domestic closure of its operations.
The Blackout killed at least 22 people, including five journalists, following the bombing of Khan Yunis at Nasser Hospital on August 25th in Israel. The footage showed rescuers and news outlets raised their hands before the second missile struck. This is a “double tap” tactic that shows intentional targeting.
Two weeks ago, when an Israeli strike crashed into a media tent outside Al-Sifa Hospital, Al-Jazeira’s Anas Al-Sharif was killed along with his colleagues. In a message prepared before his death, he writes:
For Wael Al Dadau, director of Gaza at Al Jazeera, losses are both professional and personal. He condemns his intentional attempt to shut down Gaza’s report while stopping his colleagues and family.
The statistics highlight a tragic crisis. The Government Media Office in Gaza reports that around 244 Palestinian journalists who have been murdered since October 7, 2023 have echoed the reporting of the United Nations and Al Jazeera. Adding the deaths of Lebanon and Iran will bring the total to about 259. The Commission to Protect Journalists calls Gaza “the most deadly conflict in history.” In 2024 alone, 124 journalists were killed all over the world. It was 70% in Gaza.
This pattern is not new. From Imad Abu Zahra in 2002 to Yaser Murtaja in 2018, Israel repeatedly used deadly forces against Palestinian reporters.
Today, foreign correspondents are banned from Gaza, putting a risk on locals. Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote to X: “Israel killed more than 220 Palestinian journalists in Gaza and imposed a full media blackout for 23 months.
International law is not clear. Journalists are civilians under Article 79 of the Geneva Congress. Attacking them, hospitals, or presstents constitutes war crimes under Roman law.
The RSF has filed a complaint with the ICC, with UN experts condemning the “pattern” of violations. Israel’s denials roared in the shadows of incidents like Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akure, who was killed in 2022 despite wearing a press vest.
The demand for blackout is clear. Emergency evacuation of journalists in Gaza, open access to international media, and sanctions on Israeli commanders. Some critics say that action has been slow and reporting has been in short supply for a long time. However, the unprecedented range showed shifts.
With more than 63,000 Palestinians dead and 160,000 wounded, Gaza journalists remain the true lifeline of the siege of the massacre. The September 1 protest proved that silence could protect the press, reveal the atrocities and hold Israel accountable before the final voice wanes.