Agencies
Dublin
Hundreds of people have taken part in a vigil in Dublin to show support for Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.
Members of the Irish press gathered for the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign New Year’s Eve vigil at the Ha’penny Bridge in protest over the killing of journalists by Israeli forces.
It has been reported by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate that more than 190 journalists have been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) since the war in Gaza began.
Members of Ireland’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) lined the bridge while a boat with Irish and Palestinian flags rowed along the River Liffey.
Emma O’Kelly from broadcaster RTE said: “As NUJ members, we believe it is really important to gather and openly express solidarity and support for journalists working in Gaza, who are under attack and being killed by Israel. Everyone who is killed is a tragedy but the problem with journalism is that if you kill journalists, you are also killing the truth and preventing a story from getting out.
“That is why we feel it is incumbent on us to be here and stand up for our sisters and brothers who are working in Gaza and being killed for doing their job. We are also very concerned that Israel is not letting international media in to Gaza. Again, this all contributes to the stifling of the really important story.
“We need journalists in there, we need journalists to be allowed to report the truth freely, and this is not happening.”
As the conflict in Gaza enters its 15th month, more than 45,400 people have been killed and 108,000 injured. The war has been particularly marked by the challenges of reporting from a warzone in effect sealed off to reporters from outside Gaza, where reporting has been impossible at times — and far too often, deadly.
Despite these challenges, Palestinian journalists have continued to report the horrors of the war, serving as the world’s eyes and ears during one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century. From October 7, 2023, to December 25, 2024, at least 217 journalists and media workers had been killed in Gaza. Five more were killed on December 26 when an Israeli air strike targeted a news van near al-Awda Hospital.
