Al Jazeera’s Palestine Bureau Chief calls for global action to protect journalists

Doha, Qatar: Al Jazeera s Bureau Chief in Palestine Walid Omary (pictured) emphasised the critical importance of the International Conference on the P...

Doha, Qatar: Al Jazeera’s Bureau Chief in Palestine Walid Omary (pictured) emphasised the critical importance of the International Conference on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts. The two-day conference is being held in Doha and concludes today. 

Speaking to The Peninsula, he said the event provides an opportunity to address the ongoing killings of journalists, but added that its impact must extend globally to influence public opinion and the actions of human rights, humanitarian, and journalistic organisations.

Omary highlighted the alarming situation in Gaza and the West Bank, where journalists face extreme risks. “There has been a serious escalation against journalists,” he said, noting that 256 journalists and over 700 family members have been killed by Israeli occupation forces. 

He stressed the importance of documenting these crimes and reporting them to influential international bodies to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.

“The key question is how we can protect these journalists, whose only crime is fulfilling their professional duty of conveying the truth to the world,” Omary said. He criticised international institutions, including UN agencies and political systems, for failing to adequately protect journalists.