A Lancet<\/em> <\/a>report estimated that Palestinian deaths are 40% higher than figures provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At the time of writing, the official toll stood at 54,056<\/a> but the actual number may be closer to 100,000<\/a>. Similarly, the number of journalists killed continues to climb, reported at 232 <\/a>deaths in April 2025 but has grown after several more targeted attacks<\/a> since, hence we can estimate that death toll to be 250 by May 2025. In all likelihood, the actual figure is far higher.<\/p>\n In 2022, I was approached by the Salt River Heritage Society<\/a> in Cape Town to speak <\/a>about the murals they had commissioned in their neighbourhood. Central among them was one depicting Shireen Abu Akleh<\/a>, the Al Jazeera journalist assassinated by an Israeli sniper on 11 May 2022. Initially, Israeli authorities falsely blamed Palestinian militants. By the time her murder was verified, the media cycle had moved on. A full year later, on 12 May 2023, the Israeli Defence Force issued a hollow apology<\/a>. Shireen\u2019s killing epitomised a strategy <\/a>of \u201ckilling the truth\u201d \u2014 the deliberate targeting of journalists, a war crime under international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n Cape Town, more than any city in Southern Africa, has consistently demonstrated loud and visible support <\/a>for Palestine. Since the genocide began, countless events \u2014 marches, murals, boycotts, motorcades, talks, exhibitions, concerts, interfaith gatherings, and vigils \u2014 have been held.<\/p>\n Just two weeks into the onslaught, on 22 October 2023, I was invited by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee (PSC) to speak <\/a>at the first major protest for Gaza, again in Salt River, specifically to address the killing of journalists. At that point, 17 journalists had already been murdered. No one could have predicted the escalation that followed.<\/p>\n Since then, my commitment to this issue has only deepened. As an independent journalist and freelancer, I have had the privilege of speaking freely \u2014 at protests, on radio, television, and social media \u2014 during a time when many employed journalists feared for their jobs. I\u2019ve used my voice with the hope that it might echo enough to spark accountability. So far, that hope remains unfulfilled.<\/p>\n Yet despite over 600 days of relentless bombardment and destruction, young journalists in Gaza persist. One of the most remarkable examples is nine-year-old Lama Jamous<\/a>, who donned a press vest and began reporting from the ruins of her neighbourhood.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most meaningful solidarity effort in South Africa was the organisation of national vigils<\/a> on 28 January 2024. Held in Cape Town, Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and Makhanda, these gatherings condemned the systematic murder of Palestinian journalists. Journalists across the country united to honour their colleagues abroad. In Cape Town, award-winning journalist Zubeida Jaffer spoke<\/a> movingly about her experiences reporting during apartheid and covering the Rwandan genocide \u2014 drawing clear parallels with Gaza. Many veteran journalists agreed: the conditions Palestinians face today are even more brutal than those under South African apartheid.<\/p>\n From these vigils emerged a WhatsApp group called Journalists Against Apartheid<\/em>, a platform for solidarity, awareness, and resistance among South African media workers.<\/p>\n The genocide in Gaza has unmasked the stark divide in global journalism. Palestinian journalists have redefined what it means to do this work. Their commitment isn\u2019t driven by money or recognition \u2014 it is a moral imperative. Despite losing homes, loved ones, and access to basic needs, they continue reporting. They’ve carried injured children into hospitals, buried colleagues, and dug survivors from rubble \u2014 all while documenting the unfolding horror. They appear on our screens, exhausted yet unwavering, embodying what it means to serve truth.<\/p>\n In contrast, Western media has disgraced itself. It has become a factory of bias, Islamophobia, and propaganda. One of the most damaging cases emerged on 14 October 2023 \u2014 the viral lie that Hamas had beheaded 40 babies. First shared by Israeli soldiers, the claim was repeated by then-U.S. President Joe Biden<\/a> without evidence. The result? A white supremacist in Chicago murdered six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Alfayoumi in a hate crime \u2014 stabbing him 26 times. Only in May 2025 was the perpetrator charged<\/a>. To date, Israel has not retracted or apologised for the lie that sparked the killing.<\/p>\nOn the Ground in South Africa<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A Divided Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n