Reporters Without Borders files complaint with ICC to investigate war crimes against journalists

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In a statement on its official website, RSF noted that the complaint was filed on behalf of 8 Palestinian journalists who lost their lives in Israeli bombardments of civilian areas in Gaza, and 1 Israeli journalist who died on October 7.

The statement emphasized that the Israeli attacks in which Palestinian journalists lost their lives constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute, as they qualify as "indiscriminate attacks" under international humanitarian law and involved the "use of excessive and disproportionate force against civilians."

Furthermore, it was stated that the death of the Israeli journalist also constitutes the intentional killing of a person protected under the Geneva Convention and should be investigated in that context.

The statement, which reported that more than 50 media organization premises in Gaza have been "deliberately, partially or completely" destroyed, noted that "according to the latest data, 34 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict, 12 of whom lost their lives while on duty."

RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire stated that "the scale, seriousness, and recurrence of international crimes targeting journalists, especially in Gaza," make it a "priority" for the ICC to conduct an investigation into the matter.

RSF had previously filed complaints with the ICC in 2018 and 2021 to investigate war crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza.