Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against Israel after it targeted media outlets in Gaza, and demanded an investigation into it, considering that such targeting may amount to "war crimes."
The organization said in the complaint that the Israeli strikes destroyed the headquarters of 23 local and international media outlets, including the offices of Al-Jazeera and the American Associated Press.
In its complaint addressed to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, dated May 16, the organization added that it "considers that the deliberate targeting of the media and the complete and deliberate destruction of their equipment constitute a war crime in accordance with Article 8 of the Rome Statute."
"The Israeli army has not only caused very significant material damage to the editorial departments whose journalists, equipment and facilities are protected under the requirements of protecting the civilian population, but also impeded media coverage of a conflict that directly and seriously affected the civilian population," the text of the complaint states.
Destruction of the evacuation tower
Israeli missiles destroyed the "Al-Jalaa" tower, which is a 13-storey building, after the Israeli army informed its staff that they had to evacuate it before bombing it, but the bombing took place shortly after the warning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered that the building was a "completely legitimate target," stressing that its targeting was based on intelligence information.
Reporters Without Borders stated that it had previously filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against the background of "the deliberate targeting of dozens of Palestinian journalists who cover the March of Return demonstrations in the spring of 2018."
The organization called on the Prosecutor of the Court to include the events of recent days in the investigation that opened in March into crimes believed to have been committed in the Palestinian territories.
Independent investigation
In a related development, the senior editor of the "Associated Press" Sally Busby called for an independent investigation after Israel bombed the building that houses the agency's office in Gaza.
Bozbey, who is also the agency's executive editor, said that the agency has not yet seen any evidence from Israeli officials that justifies the bombing that flattened the Evacuation Tower.
The CEO of the Associated Press, Gary Pruitt, said in a statement that he was shocked and terrified by the Israeli attack on a building in Gaza, while several international human rights and media organizations condemned the attack.
In a statement, Al-Jazeera Media Network condemned the destruction of its office in Gaza, held the Israeli government responsible for the attack, and pledged to take legal measures against it, and considered that the destruction of its office is a precedent contrary to all norms of international law and human civilization.