In a tragic event that has drawn international attention, Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul was recently killed by the Israeli army while visibly wearing a press insignia. Reports indicate that the nature of his death was particularly brutal, with the journalist’s head reportedly severed from his body. Notably, al-Ghoul had completed a report just an hour prior regarding the assassination of Ismail Haniya, suggesting that his killing may have been a deliberate and premeditated act, characterized as targeted murder.
Legal interpretations classify targeted murder as a form of intentional killing, which, according to Article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, qualifies as crimes against humanity. Furthermore, such actions can be considered extrajudicial executions—murders carried out without any transparent and fair judicial process.
This incident is not an isolated occurrence; since the onset of the Gaza conflict, Israel has reportedly killed 170 journalists. This figure exceeds the total number of journalists who died in both World War II and the Vietnam War. According to the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, journalists are classified as civilians in armed conflicts and should be afforded protection from attacks, provided they do not participate in military operations. However, allegations against Israel suggest a pattern of human rights violations, including the targeted killings of journalists.