BRUSSELS, Monday, January 29, 2024 (WAFA) -The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said today that it will take legal action against Israeli politicians and military leaders if they do not comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice regarding the targeting of journalists.

This came in a letter sent to the Prime Minister of the occupation government Benjamin Netanyahu and his army minister, Yoav Galant, in which the federation affirmed that the 600,000 members of the IFJ consider journalists in Gaza as their colleagues.

The letter sent by IFJ, represented by its President Dominique Pradaliéi and its Secretary-General Anthony Bellanger, stressed that the Constitution of the International Federation of Journalists guarantees the protection of press freedom, journalists' rights and the independence of journalism.

“The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is one of our members, and journalists from 140 unions around the world consider Palestinian journalists as their colleagues,” read the letter.

IFJ said it has been following with great concern the increasing number of killings among journalists in Gaza since October 7. This toll represents nearly ten percent of all journalists working in Gaza.

The letter noted that the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts of genocide prohibited by the Genocide Convention and to report back to the Court within a month regarding its implementation of the provisional measures.

The letter said that international law requires states to do everything in their power to protect civilians, stressing that journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and protected as such.

“We now urge you to commit and issue policies and procedures to ensure that Israeli military personnel comply with this demand.” urged the letter.

“If this does not happen, we will not hesitate to file lawsuits at international courts against politicians and commanders in the Israeli army,” added IFJ.

The International Federation of Journalists urged the 187 affiliate members to do the same, as permitted by national judicial mechanisms.

A.D./T.R.