Reporters Without Borders condemns Gaza strikes

Smoke billows and debris flies from the explosion at the local Al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. Israeli aircraft fired missiles at two media centers in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli military said. / AP Photo/Yaseer Qudih

PARIS Reporters Without Borders has condemned Israeli missile attacks on two media centers in Gaza that wounded six Palestinian journalists Sunday and damaged the equipment of foreign media outlets.

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Gaza: Destruction, drones, fighter jets

The attacks on the two high-rise buildings damaged offices of the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, and a Lebanese-based broadcaster, Al Quds TV, seen as sympathetic to the Islamists. Germany's public broadcaster ARD; Russia Today, a state TV network that broadcasts in English; and Sky News Arabia said they lost equipment in the attacks.

A Gaza press association said six Palestinian journalists were wounded, including one who lost a leg.

Christophe Deloire, the director of Reporters Without Borders' international headquarters in Paris, called the attacks unjustified and a threat to freedom of information. He demanded an investigation into the circumstances of the raid.

"Even though the outlets targeted are linked to Hamas, it does not legitimize the attacks," he said. "Attacks against civilian targets constitute war crimes."

The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hamas communications equipment on the buildings' rooftops and accused the group of using journalists as "human shields."

Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, urged journalists to stay clear of Hamas bases and facilities.

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In Moscow, Russia Today, a state TV network that broadcasts in English, reported that the office of its Arabic-language channel, Rusiya Al-Yaum, was heavily damaged in the strike but none of the crew was injured.

"Fortunately for them, they had left the Shawa building about an hour before the Israeli planes delivered the strike. RT's office was damaged, so the crew will move to a less-affected floor of the center."

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Widening air war over Gaza

Germany's public broadcaster ARD said its Gaza office was hit.

"Thanks God, nobody was injured," said correspondent Markus Rosch in a blog entry on the broadcaster's website. "At night, I went to bed hoping for a ceasefire. But in the morning it went off again on both sides. Our ARD office in Gaza was also hit."

Sky News Arabia issued a statement condemning the attacks and saying they caused extensive damage to its property and "considerable and unacceptable distress to our staff." Sky News Arabia is a joint venture between BSkyB in Britain and the Abu Dhabi Investment Corp, based in Abu Dhabi.

The statement claimed the Israeli attacks "targeted journalists covering the current military operations in Gaza" and demanded "that Israeli authorities respect and abide by the international conventions not to target media and to ensure the safety of journalists covering conflict zones."

[JonUPS]

On my twitter feed tonight, I have seen several different news agencies/organizations report that buildings in which reporter are in and/or near have been targets of IDF attacks. However, so far, I have not gotten any answer to a rather simple question: Who or what else was in building or near by it? So are reporters being used, overtly/covertly as human shields? Are they willingly/unwillingly/unknowingly/knowingly sitting next to a target? It seems, at least to me, that something is missing and just to connect the dots and say IDF is out right targeting reports could be rather mis-leading propaganda.

[Glasgae]

Israel's real enemy isn't Hamas, it's the United Nations!

All those nasty resolutions (vetoed non-stop by the USA) against them.

Should Israel not try bombing the UN then? Let's see, where is it?

Ah...

[maltedmilkballs]

The news agencies building had hamas communication equipment on top and this is okay? B.S. A free target
Where did many of the longer range missels go to from libya? Well we found them in the air enroute to Tel Aviv. How did they get to Gaza?, with out the help of Egypt (the brothhood) not possible.
Well BHO, you wanted a Arab spring and now you have one. So, what ya going to do with it? Well our pals in Europe using NATO as a costume opened this can of worms. Bush II went into Iraq with no plan of what to do with it.
Here is the humor of it all. If anyone in D.C. had a brain (as if that would happen) would team with Russia and china to stop the mess in Syria. We all would benefit keeping the brotherhood out of there. Get Asad out with a government free of the brotherhood, that will keep China happy. Let Russia have a naval base there and a government friendly to the west.
A dummy can see Iraq will divide into 3 countrys again. Start talks now with the Kurds and Turkey to find a happy resolve for all. Lastly, for someone to get it into the fat kings head in Saudia Arabia to start big time reforms now. This will keep the brotherhood in check. Well, it aint check mate, but maybe the world will wake up and understand the brotherhood is terrorism and the terrorists can all be traced back to the brotherhood.

[Glasgae]

ROTTIES4: God doesn't exist. It's been practically proven that he doesn't. Being Jewish or Muslim doesn't give you rights above anyone else. You are the same as any other religious fool.
Where has your God been the last 100 years? Why has he allowed such persecution? Where is Allah?

Both sides are idiots, one however has a nuclear arsenal. I despair that these madmen who believe in fairy stories have such power!

[baretruth]

THe entire world gets outraged that israeli strikes GAza and killed 40 Palestinians, in response of 900 Rocket attacks.
Where is the outrage of all the killing going on in Syria.... over 20,000 killed? Hey but because it is A muslim killing a muslim it is OK....

[baretruth]

Israel was attacked thousands of times ...
How long a country can tolerate the enemies who hate and murder innocent women and children?
Israel must accept rockets being launched in over their heads, killing his people?
If it was with Russia or China, what would be the reaction of these two nations?
Hypocrisy enough!
Israel has more than the right to defend themselves, they have a duty to eradicate the tumor in Gaza and elsewhere!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ly7pSo4aP4

[baretruth]

To all the ignorants that are not informed and support the palestinians, inform yourself before supporting terrorists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKt7J1U1Cs8&feature=plcp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTGbP55HGi8&feature=plcp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAHHjfUxERY&feature=plcp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKt7J1U1Cs8&feature=plcp&list=PL2BFECF185A3300BE

[baretruth]

It is pretty sad that all the broadcast and print media, including CBS, ABC and New york times, broadcast the news in a very ANTISEMITIC way, Bias towards the Palestinians. Always they show-report that Israel strikes GAZA and kills whatever amount of palestinians and kids. Look that always they show the destruction in GAZA by the Israelis. It will be nice, if for once, media reports the REAL TRUTH!!, over 900 rockets shoot at Israel within a week by PAlestinians "Terrorists". And show all the damage those rockets have done in Israel and to its people.
I wonder how those same broadcaster will react if not 900 but just 10 of those Missiles are fired to A major USA city from Canada or Mexico??
Funny thing is that the media calls them Civilians, Refugees, Militants. The truth, they are plain TERRORISTS.

[gondogul]

Lets compare these rockets and the damage they do to eachothers property.

http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/fighting-continues-in-gaza.html

Your post has government sponsored disinformation agent written all over it.

[WiseAsOwl]

Hey, fellas.. Ignorance is NOT a virtue.. If somebody attacks Israel, Israel will make sure that they regret it.. Simple.. You go ahead and follow the Liberal way of looking at this, if being stupid is really what you want to do.. Go pound sand or something... but stay out of politics and talking about things you know nothing about... FACT: Israel WILL defend itself.. Don't bother thinking anything else...

[wmsimmons]

Of course Israel has the absolute right, under international law, to take whatever action it deems necessary to stop Arab rockets from being fired into Israeli airspace and territory. To claim that Israel must take no military action against Arabs in Gaza is equivalent to saying that the USA had no right to strike Japan after the Empire of Japan attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor. If casualties result, the blame goes wholly and entirely [again, under international law] to the entity responsible for the rocket strikes -- not to Israel. If one of my family were to suffer injury or death in rocket attacks out of Gaza, I would be more than justified in demanding that my government [i.e. Israel] strike Gaza and take such other or further action to stop the rockets, punish the people responsible for them and do so in such severity that future rocket attacks would be deterred absolutely. My tears are for the Israeli casualties -- not the Palestinian crybabies who started such dastardly conduct to begin with!

[RLIF]

Israel consistently targets reporters. The article is not about Israel's right of self defense. But I am sure you know that.