Al Jazeera Media Network has issued an appeal to the global journalistic community, press freedom groups and legal institutions, urging “decisive action” to end what it called “forced starvation” of journalists and civilians in Gaza.

In a news release issued on Wednesday, the Doha-based network said that for over 21 months, Israeli airstrikes and the “systematic starvation” of nearly 20 lakh people have “pushed an entire population to the brink of survival”.

“Al Jazeera Media Network urgently calls upon the journalistic community, press freedom organisations, and relevant legal bodies to take decisive action to halt the forced starvation and crimes against journalists and media professionals in Gaza,” the statement read.

The network said its reporters on the ground, who have covered the conflict despite growing dangers, are now “fighting for their own survival”.

On July 19, Al Jazeera journalists shared messages on social media indicating that they were nearing physical and emotional collapse. “One powerful post by Anas AlShariff, Al Jazeera Arabic channel correspondent in Gaza, stated, ‘I haven't stopped covering for a moment in 21 months, and today, I say it outright.... And with indescribable pain. I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment.... Gaza is dying. And we die with it,’” the network shared in its release.

Dr Mostefa Souag, director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, said, “We owe it to the courageous journalists in Gaza to amplify their voices and put an end to the unbearable suffering they are enduring due to forced starvation and targeted killings by Israeli occupation forces.”

He added, “The journalistic community and the world bear an immense responsibility. It is our duty to raise our voices and mobilise all available means to support our colleagues in this noble profession. If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories. Our inaction will be recorded in history as a monumental failure to protect our fellow journalists and a betrayal of the principles that every journalist strives to uphold.”

Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed five Al Jazeera journalists — Samer Abudaqqa, Hamza AlDahdouh, Ismael Al-Ghoul, Ahmed Al-Louh and Hossam Shabat.

Several family members of Al Jazeera staff and other journalists have also lost their lives.

Despite the danger, the network said its journalists will report from the region. “Submission to such intimidation would have resulted in an almost total blackout of coverage of the ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and crimes against humanity inflicted upon the civilian population of Gaza,” the note stated.

Al Jazeera has urged international bodies to act immediately to halt what it called the “forced starvation that does not spare journalists who are the bearers of truth.”

AFP appealed to the Israeli government for the evacuation of its freelance journalists and their families from Gaza. The agency cited “appalling” and “untenable” conditions, warning of a serious risk of death from hunger.

AFP’s Society of Journalists had earlier called for “immediate intervention”, saying, “We are terrified of receiving news of their deaths at any moment, and it is unbearable for us.”

The agency noted that local freelancers have been central to their coverage since Israel banned international reporters from entering Gaza, but that the situation had deteriorated so sharply that their safety could no longer be ensured.

AFP managed to evacuate some staff and their families between January and April 2024, but is now attempting to secure safe passage for those who remain. The process, it said, continues to face “immense challenges” under the ongoing blockade.

Over 100 humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council and Mercy Corps, have described the Gaza crisis as one of “mass starvation”.

Aid workers themselves have reportedly queued up for food, with some risking their lives to secure basic supplies for their families. Essential items, food, water, and medical aid, remain restricted, with shipments blocked just outside Gaza’s borders by Israeli authorities.

The Gaza health ministry has reported 111 deaths from famine and malnutrition in recent weeks.