By Jamilah Kemigisa
The Independent Online Journalists Association-Uganda (Indoja-U) led by senior investigative journalist and CEO TheSpy Uganda and Detective-UG, Andrew Irumba Katusabe has issued a strong condemnation of what it calls the “barbaric and deliberate” killing of five Al Jazeera journalists by Israeli forces in Gaza, with the backing of the United States.
In a statement released Tuesday, Indoja-U President Irumba said the attack — carried out on August 10 by an Israeli drone on a clearly marked media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital — amounted to a war crime. The strike claimed the lives of:
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Anas al-Sharif, 28 – Journalist
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Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33 – Correspondent
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Ibrahim Zaher, 25 – Camera Operator
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Mohammed Noufal, 29 – Camera Operator
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Moamen Aliwa, 23 – Camera Operator
“These killings are not isolated incidents. They are part of a sustained, systematic assault on the press in Gaza,” Irumba said, noting that since October 2023, nearly 270 journalists and media workers have been killed alongside hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The association accused the United States of shielding Israel from accountability while pouring billions into military support, calling out what it described as “glaring double standards” in global responses to conflicts.
“The silence of the so-called guardians of global justice — the UN Security Council, the ICC, and other international bodies — is deafening and damning,” the statement read. “When journalists are slaughtered for daring to bear witness, they suddenly lose their voices.”
Demands For Justice
Indoja-U is calling for:
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An immediate, independent international investigation into the killings of journalists in Gaza.
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Prosecution of those responsible at the International Criminal Court.
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Strong condemnation from the UN Security Council and human rights bodies.
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Urgent measures to protect journalists and media facilities in all conflict zones.
“Journalism is not a crime. Targeting journalists is a war crime,” Irumba declared. “The blood of our colleagues cries out for justice. The world must not look away.”
The killings come amid the ongoing Israel–Gaza conflict, which has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates worldwide, many warning that the deliberate targeting of reporters undermines the global right to information.
