As Israel’s offensive in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, its military has repeatedly said it is not deliberately targeting the media…
However, an investigation by the Guardian suggests that amid a loosening of the Israel Defense Force’s interpretation of the laws of war after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, some within the IDF appear to have viewed journalists working in Gaza for outlets controlled by or affiliated with Hamas to be legitimate military targets.
A person with knowledge of legal advice given to IDF commanders said journalists working for Hamas-affiliated media were seen to exist within a “grey zone” and there was a “problematic” view among some in the IDF that “whenever there’s someone getting a salary ultimately from Hamas” they were considered to be a legitimate target.
“Hamas invests a lot of resources in its propaganda teams. They often won’t do an activity if they don’t have a photographer. They must document everything,” a military intelligence officer said. “So some will tell you: ‘Look, a Hamasnik is Hamasnik.’”
Hamas runs the government in Gaza.
This encapsulates mostly non-military affairs. Like hospitals, schools and in this case a media outlet. Some journalists get paid by the government which is ran by Hamas.
This is akin to a NPR journalists being classified as a military target because they work for the American government. Or any public hospital staff that gets paid by the government being classified as a valid military target
Which is why I said Hamas soldier and not doctor or whatever.
They are not soldiers