Reporter publicly resigns Reuters over Gaza ‘culpability’

(MENAFN) Canadian photojournalist Valerie Zink has resigned from her role as a Reuters stringer after eight years, accusing the news agency of “justifying and enabling” Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza, including its own staff members. Her resignation came shortly after an Israeli airstrike hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists, according to local health authorities.

In a Facebook post, Zink criticized Reuters and other Western media outlets for amplifying unverified Israeli accusations that journalists were linked to Hamas militants. She argued that such reports have created an environment where journalists have become targets, with dozens killed since October 2023.

Zink highlighted the case of Anas al-Sharif, a respected Al Jazeera reporter who was killed with his team in Gaza City earlier this month. She accused Reuters of publishing Israel’s unfounded claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas operative, despite no evidence being provided by the Israeli military.

She also expressed disappointment that Reuters did not defend al-Sharif, even though his work had earned a Pulitzer Prize. Furthermore, Zink condemned the agency’s reaction to the deaths of its own staff members, pointing out that cameraman Hossam al-Masri was among the victims in the Nasser Hospital airstrike.

Zink stated that Western media outlets were “complicit” in these killings by repeating Israeli claims without proper verification, effectively acting as a “conveyor belt for Israeli propaganda.” Since October 2023, 245 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to press freedom organizations.

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