Democrats Press Marco Rubio About 'Catastrophic' Killing Of Journalists In Gaza

"It appears Israel is publicly admitting to targeting and killing journalists who have shown the world the scale of suffering in Gaza," 17 Senate Democrats wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

A group of Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to press the government of Israel to protect journalists in Gaza and allow international media to access the war-torn territory.

Their letter, which was led by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and signed by 16 other Democratic senators, cited the recent deaths of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif, who Israel claims is connected to Hamas, and five other reporters by an Israeli drone strike. More than 190 journalists have been killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza ― the deadliest period for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began tracking such data in 1992.

“Israel has not provided convincing evidence for its claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas militant,” the senators wrote. “Absent a compelling explanation of the military objective for this attack, it appears Israel is publicly admitting to targeting and killing journalists who have shown the world the scale of suffering in Gaza, which would be a violation of international law.”

The senators also expressed concern about Israel’s repression of journalists in other areas of conflict like the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.

“The United States must make it clear to Israel that banning and censoring media organizations and targeting or threatening members of the press is unacceptable and must stop,” they said. “The absence of U.S. government support for accountability efforts serves to undermines U.S. moral leadership and credibility in the region and around the world.”