LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: The targeted killings of six journalists - five from Al Jazeera - this weekend in Gaza is sparking an outcry. Now, these killings are the latest of many. Gaza is being called a news graveyard, with more journalists killed there than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the war in Afghanistan and the Yugoslavia wars combined. That's according to the Watson School of International and Public Affairs in Rhode Island. Israel says it did carry out that attack, and it claims that one of the half a dozen journalists it killed was a Hamas militant that led a, quote, "terrorist cell." Anas al-Sharif denied that until the day he was killed. The Committee to Protect Journalists says they've seen no evidence that substantiates Israel's claim. I spoke with the CEO, Jodie Ginsberg.
JODIE GINSBERG: We've seen this playbook before. It's often preceded the killings of a journalist, and it's often used after the killing of a journalist to excuse the killing by Israel. And so we were concerned that this could be setting Anas al-Sharif up for assassination, and of course, that's what we saw on Sunday.
FADEL: I know many journalists have been killed. Are they targeted?
GINSBERG: There are a number of other instances - we're now investigating at least 26 - where journalists have been directly targeted by Israel. In some of those cases, Israel has alleged that those individuals were terrorists, either without providing evidence or providing evidence that is questionable.
FADEL: It's been 10 months that the Israeli military has been making these claims against Anas al-Sharif - that he is not just a Hamas operative, but a leader of a militant cell within the organization. When CPJ says these are unsubstantiating claims, looking at what the Israeli military has made public, what about it is unsubstantiated?
GINSBERG: Well, so let's be clear. The documents that were produced and published show, or purport to show, that Anas al-Sharif was on the payroll of Hamas. They've said in a statement subsequent to his killing that they have evidence that shows he was - continued to be active, but they haven't produced that. Nor - and I think this is really important - have they explained why they saw fit to hit a tent that was full of working journalists. So putting aside whether or not you believe that Anas al-Sharif was a terrorist, Israel have made no such claims about any of the other journalists who were killed alongside him.
FADEL: And I will point out that we also, at NPR, asked the Israeli military if they have proof of al-Sharif's involvement in Hamas beyond the inclusion in the lists that they published, if they have proof that al-Sharif has served as a Hamas fighter since the start of this war that they could provide to us. We asked when these lists that they put out were from, how up to date they are - as you pointed out, the dates are in question - and why the military decided to kill al-Sharif. And we were told we wouldn't be getting any further information on those questions.
GINSBERG: And the documents have raised questions...
FADEL: Yeah.
GINSBERG: ...For others. For example, in the documents, it talks about another Al Jazeera journalist who was killed whom Israel alleged was a terrorist - Ismail al-Ghoul, for example. The documents that Israel provided would have had him as a commander of a battalion, I believe, at age 10. So experts have repeatedly raised questions about the nature of the documents and the veracity of the documents themselves.
FADEL: Now, the Committee to Protect Journalists put out a very strong statement saying, Israel is murdering the messengers, after the attack on August 10 that killed six journalists. What prompted that statement?
GINSBERG: You're right. It was a very strong statement. And we have been raising the alarm regarding the safety of journalists and the lack of international protection for them since the start of the war. And unfortunately, we have felt that oftentimes we were shouting into the void. And to us, Sunday represented a significant escalation in the dangers for journalists because, as I say, Israel was very open in saying that it had targeted Anas al-Sharif. But they have not been able to explain what justified killing those other journalists and those who are civilians in that tent, where they were doing their job.
FADEL: What does accountability look like?
GINSBERG: Accountability looks like credible, transparent investigations and individuals responsible for those killings being held accountable. There are rules of engagement. There are international humanitarian laws. There are rules related to how you conduct wars. And in many cases, we do not believe that those are being followed, and this would make some of those killings war crimes.
FADEL: Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Thank you for your time.
GINSBERG: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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