US lawmakers urge Trump administration to press Israel over killings of journalists in Gaza

A group of mostly Democratic Senators urged the Trump administration Wednesday to take action over the killing of journalists in Gaza and to push Israel to guarantee press freedoms.

The lawmakers, led by Senator Brian Schatz, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed by his Democratic colleagues including Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch as well as Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, cited a recent Israeli strike in Gaza that killed six journalists, including prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif.

They said Israel had “not provided convincing evidence” for its claim that al-Sharif was a member of the Palestinian group Hamas and warned that targeting journalists “would be a violation of international law.”

“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,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

“We urge you to press the Israeli government to protect journalists in Gaza and allow international media to access the territory,” they said.

The senators also called on the State Department to demand that Israel allow international journalists independent access to Gaza, saying restrictions and censorship undermine US credibility.

On Aug. 10, Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qraiqea were killed along with three camera operators with the network and a freelance reporter in an Israeli strike that targeted a journalists’ tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

The attack brought the number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 to 238, it said.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel has killed more than 62,100 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.