Maja Sever: We have many of our own problems, but let's help the journalists from Gaza.

Reflecting on the recent gathering of solidarity and support for Palestinian journalists held in Zagreb, Sever mentions that she was subsequently called by her colleague Naser Abu Baker from the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS).

“He saw pictures on social media and told me - you can't even imagine how much this means to people. How much it means to people in Palestine when they see that somewhere on the other side of the world, people are thinking of them and at least sending support and solidarity. That’s why I genuinely invite you, let’s be human, let’s help, and despite all your and our problems, let’s not turn our heads away from those brave people who are dying innocently, and not so far from us,” Sever emphasized.

Speaking about the killings of journalists in Gaza, she pointed out the problem of not having enough information about them.

“When I wrote an article for a European magazine a few months ago about why it is important to help and spread the word about the events in Gaza, among 64 drawings of journalists killed in Palestine, created by our illustrators and cartoonists for the Journalists' Syndicate of Croatia, I selected Heba. I wanted to tell her story. In English, I found only a few brief sentences: that she was a journalist and that she died in an Israeli bombing along with her little daughter. And that was all,” Maja Sever recounts and continues:

“Then, with the help of Google, I switched to Arabic and learned that Heba, besides being a journalist, was a radio host, was completing her master's degree, and worked with female students and young journalists to empower them and encourage them to continue their journalistic paths. She was active in raising that female strength and helping young journalists. A few days before her death, Heba wrote - we all have dreams, we are all human, and we dream. Unfortunately, her dreams did not come true, nor did those of her little daughter Judy.”

Due to the killings of journalists in Gaza, the most important media associations today, for the first time in modern history, organized a global protest in which 200 media outlets from 50 countries participated, simultaneously disrupting front pages and broadcasts with a demand to stop the killing of journalists in Gaza and allow foreign media outlets to enter.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) called on all journalists and media in Serbia to join this protest action.

The initiative is coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the global campaign movement Avaaz, and the International Federation of Journalists, with participation from editors, reporters, and other journalists:

“As the action takes place, the number of journalists killed in Gaza has exceeded 210 since October 7, 2023 – the deadliest conflict for reporters in modern times. Israel has simultaneously banned foreign media from entering Gaza for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to report under fire,” the statement noted.

“With the speed at which the IDF is killing journalists in Gaza, soon there will be no one left to inform the world. This is not just a war against Gaza; it is a war against journalism itself. Journalists are being killed; they are targets; they are slandered. Without them, who will speak about hunger, who will expose war crimes, who will condemn genocide? Ten years after the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2222, we are witnessing, in front of the eyes of the entire world, the erosion of international legal guarantees for the protection of journalists. Solidarity among media and journalists worldwide is essential. We must thank them: the brotherhood of journalists will save press freedom, brotherhood will save freedom,” says Thibault Broutin, General Director of RSF.

“It is very clear that Gaza is being intentionally turned into a graveyard for journalists. The Israeli far-right government is trying to finish the job in the dark, without media oversight. If the last witnesses are silenced, the killings will not stop – they will simply remain unseen. That is why we are united today with editorial offices around the world to say: ‘We cannot, we will not, allow this to happen!’” stated Andrew Ligon, Campaign Director at Avaaz.

“Every journalist killed in Gaza was someone’s colleague, friend, or family member. They risked everything to tell the truth to the world and paid with their lives. The public’s right to know is deeply damaged as a result of this war. We demand justice and the International UN Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists,” emphasizes Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

The latest attacks on journalists in Gaza occurred on August 25, when Israeli forces bombed the Al-Naser medical complex – a well-known center for reporters – killing five journalists, including staff from Reuters and Associated Press. Two weeks earlier, another six journalists were killed in one attack, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif.

We remind that ANEM and the B92 Fund have joined the action and called on citizens and journalists in Serbia to participate in collecting aid for journalists in Gaza.

Testimonies from journalists can be read on the ANEM website and on their YouTube page as part of the series “Voices from Gaza.”

The first two interviews are available for download and distribution in the media with proper sourcing, as well as photographs, and are accessible at the following links:

**Journalist Shurook al-Alia** [https://anem.org.rs/sr/strane/glasovi-iz-gaze-suruk-al-alija-ubijani-smo-uzivo-na-televiziji-a-svet-je-gluv-na-nase-patnje](https://anem.org.rs/sr/strane/glasovi-iz-gaze-suruk-al-alija-ubijani-smo-uzivo-na-televiziji-a-svet-je-gluv-na-nase-patnje)

**Journalist Sami Abu Salem** [https://anem.org.rs/sr/strane/glasovi-iz-gaze-sami-abu-salem-ubijanjem-novinara-ubija-se-istina](https://anem.org.rs/sr/strane/glasovi-iz-gaze-sami-abu-salem-ubijanjem-novinara-ubija-se-istina)