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LONDON: Over 100 journalists have sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on Joe Biden's administration to impose an arms embargo on Israel in response to what they say are ongoing attacks on Palestinian reporters in the Gaza Strip.

The letter, signed by 113 journalists, seven press freedom organizations and 20 news agencies, accuses the United States of complicity in Israel's actions because of its unwavering support for Tel Aviv.

“Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 160 Palestinian journalists. This is the highest number of journalists killed ever recorded in a war.

“While Israel's indiscriminate bombing of the densely populated Gaza Strip means that no civilians are safe, there are also … reports that Israel has deliberately targeted journalists,” the letter said.

“Israel's military actions are not possible without US weapons, US military aid and diplomatic support. By supplying the weapons used to deliberately kill journalists, you are complicit in one of the most serious attacks on press freedom of our time.”

The letter also accused Tel Aviv of suppressing media coverage of its actions in the Gaza Strip.

These measures include internet blackouts, military censorship of local and foreign journalists, a ban on foreign reporters entering Gaza, and a ban on Al Jazeera under the pretext of national security.

“Israel's targeted crackdown on journalists follows a longstanding pattern of the Israeli government suppressing truthful reporting on its treatment of the Palestinians and its war in Gaza,” the letter said.

The appeal underlines the severity of Israel's crackdown on journalists, which was widely documented long before the current conflict began on October 7.

It stresses that targeted attacks on journalists are a war crime under international law and points out that US law prohibits support for foreign forces involved in human rights abuses, and Israel's history of extrajudicial killings of journalists is a clear violation.

This appeal is the latest in a series of largely ignored calls for action.

In April, more than two dozen Palestinian journalists called on American journalists to boycott the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.

In July, more than 60 organizations called on the Israeli authorities to grant the media free and unrestricted access to the Gaza Strip, citing the “unreasonable and unbearable burden” placed on local journalists in documenting events.

This news coincides with a report by the International Federation of Journalists showing that the death rate among reporters covering the conflict is significantly higher than among reporters in other professions.

The report found that over 12 percent of journalists in the Gaza Strip were killed. The “unusually high” death rate suggests that media workers are being targeted by the Israeli army.