Abuja: Germany has called on Israel to provide a clear and transparent explanation following the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the demand came after the Qatar-based broadcaster announced that the journalists were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a tent used by media workers. A spokesman for the German Foreign Office stated that the killing of media personnel is absolutely inadmissible under international humanitarian law and stressed the necessity for the responsible party to provide a clear and transparent explanation.
The spokesman highlighted that Israel had yet to provide such an explanation. It was emphasized that if the Israeli military claims the strike targeted a specific individual, it must also account for why five people were killed. The Israeli military had confirmed the death of al-Sharif, alleging he was leading a Hamas ‘terrorist cell’ while posing as a journalist.
The German Foreign Office reiterated that journalists must be protected under international law and that any removal of that protection must be thoroughly justified. The spokesman further stated that Israel is now expected to explain itself in the most transparent and comprehensible manner possible, and stressed the need for reporters in Gaza to be able to carry out their work freely and safely.