Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel made ‘unsubstantiated’ claims against 3 slain media workers LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists has strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing attempts to label Gaza-based journalists as “terrorists,” describing the actions as part of an “unsubstantiated smear campaign.” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said: “Even before the start of the Israel-Gaza war, CPJ had documented Israel’s pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without producing credible evidence to substantiate their claims. “Smear campaigns endanger journalists and erode public trust in the media. Israel must end this practice and allow independent international investigations into the journalists’ killings.” Since the conflict’s onset in October, the Israeli military has accused journalists on at least three occasions of engaging in militant activities after they were killed by its forces. These allegations have faced significant scrutiny from the international community, which has repeatedly questioned the credibility of the evidence provided. In late July, Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and freelance camera operator Rami Al-Refee were the latest media workers killed by the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF claimed that Al-Ghoul was an engineer in the Hamas Gaza Brigade and a member of Hamas’ Nukhba special forces, presenting what Al Jazeera described as “contradictory information.” The network and a Washington Post investigation highlighted inconsistencies in the IDF’s claims, including the fact that Al-Ghoul had been released after being detained by Israeli forces earlier in March. The IDF has not yet responded to requests for comments on these allegations. Earlier, two other Al Jazeera journalists, Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, were killed in January in an Israeli strike. The military claimed they were operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF soldiers. However, a Washington Post investigation largely disproved these allegations, noting that both journalists had passed through Israeli checkpoints and that Dahdouh had been granted permission to leave Gaza, “a rare privilege unlikely to have been granted to a known militant.” The Gaza conflict has become the deadliest for journalists and media workers since records began. According to CPJ, 113 media personnel, mostly Palestinians, have been killed so far, with the actual toll likely to be higher. Israel has faced increasing pressure to justify its actions against Palestinian journalists. Advocacy groups have condemned the smear campaign, calling on Tel Aviv to end its practice of labeling journalists as terrorists or militants. They are urging the international community to ensure that allegations of war crimes or human rights abuses against journalists are investigated in line with internationally accepted standards, such as the Minnesota Protocol.