Journalists in Gaza have been relentlessly defamed and threatened since the start of the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory in October 2023, from the circulation of doctored images to the creation of an online platform designed to discredit them. Israeli officials play an active role in these smear campaigns, which undermine the legitimacy of Gaza’s journalists and expose them to danger as these accusations are used to justify targeted attacks on reporters.
On 11 August 2025, just a few hours after the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al‑Sharif in a targeted strike on a tent sheltering a group of journalists near the Al‑Shifa Hospital in western Gaza, a chilling image was posted on the Telegram channel of Or Fialkov, who has been presented by some Israeli media as a researcher and expert in war and terrorism — even though it appears he has no diploma or academic qualifications in the field, and the company under his name offers digital marketing services. He recently published a photo of two Gazan journalists, Mohnad Qashta and Mohamed al‑Sharif, with a target photoshopped over their faces alongside a call for murder: “Here are other ‘journalists’ the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must eliminate in Gaza.” When contacted by RSF, Or Fialkov said that he stands by his demand “for the elimination of terrorists,” but denies issuing an “incitement to murder.”
He justifies his claims by alleging that Mohnad Qashta himself stated his brother was a Hamas...
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