The Luxembourgish Media Has Blood on Its Hands
Anas Al-Sharif © Azat TV
Yesterday, Anas Al-Sharif, a journalist who had been covering the genocide in Gaza, was murdered by the Zionist occupation alongside four of his colleagues. He joins the long list of journalists killed by Israel before and after the genocide began. One of them was Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022, who had been a reporter for Al Jazeera for nearly 25 years before Israel decided to end her life.
Creatives have also been targeted. Refaat Alareer, a prominent writer and poet from Gaza, was killed by Israel in an airstrike in December 2023 during the still ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
One thing is clear: all these martyrs sacrificed their lives to showcase the truth.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza and has targeted local reporters, according to the Gaza government’s media office, which reports that 237 journalists have been killed during the genocide. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented at least 186 journalist deaths in Gaza. Israel denies intentionally targeting journalists. The number of journalists killed in Gaza now exceeds the combined toll of journalist deaths in the U.S. Civil War, both World Wars, and the wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Ukraine.
Gaza Journalists © Al Jazeera
Yet, all those who decide to use words to expose the cruelty of the colonial entity that is Israel have been murdered. As writers, as people who believe in sharing stories that are often overlooked, we cannot help but feel atrociously angry at how the world continues—month after month, year after year, decade after decade, for nearly a century—to accept the injustices carried out against indigenous peoples such as in Palestine.
How is it that simply being a writer on another piece of land makes us feel safe, while on the other side you are hunted, defamed, and murdered for doing the same work? Anas Al-Sharif was 28 years old— younger than some of the déi aner team members. Not that age should be a prerequisite for empathy, but the state of the world has allowed him to be killed while we remain safe in a country that supposedly respects journalists, their work, and the ethical values it represents.
As bearers of truth, déi aner condemns the Luxembourgish media and its journalists. They too are responsible for the genocide in Gaza because they have decided not to report the truth. The Luxembourgish and western media are cowards who will watch someone’s life end because they believe in journalism, yet refuse to pay tribute to their peers. Instead, they choose to apply the all-too-common racist label of “terrorist.” In the eyes of the white Luxembourger, Arabs, again, can be nothing but terrorists.
Protest honouring the journalists killed in Gaza © Peg Hunter
RTL titled their article reporting on Al-Sharif’s assassination: “Israel behaapt, Reporter wier ‘Chef vun Terrorzell’ vun der Hamas gewiescht” — which translates to “Israel claims reporter was Hamas ‘terror cell leader’.” Just like many other Western media outlets, this kind of reporting normalizes war crimes committed by Israel. It reinforces their cruel impunity and allows the terrorist state to continue making Gaza a living hell for the people still remaining.
They chose to smear Anas’ name instead of honoring the journalism he sacrificed his life for. He was present for almost every massacre Israel committed because he was determined to show the truth. Each journalist killed was an opportunity for Western media to recognize the war crimes, honor the martyred journalist’s work, and stop Israel’s impunity. Instead, they chose to remain complicit. RTL Luxembourg, like many other media outlets, has blood on its hands.
In addition, the Luxembourgish media’s insistence on framing this as an “Israel–Hamas war” rather than a genocide—one that, according to The Lancet journal, has claimed an estimated 300,000 lives—is a blatant betrayal of the core principles of journalism. This is not a war; it is a genocide.
Palestine has been fragmented due to the occupation © Montecruz Foto
The hypocrisy of the Luxembourgish media is blatant — from their lack of reporting on pro-Palestinian actions to their full endorsement of Zionist propaganda. We condemn the genocide. We condemn the murder of the bearers of truth. And we condemn the Luxembourgish media and government for their complete inaction in the face of horror, and their racist hypocrisy when it comes to respecting the lives of non-white people.
In honor of those bearers of truth in Palestine who lost their lives, here are a few extracts from their heartbreaking statements of peace and hope:
“If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. [...]
I have lived through the pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification— so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half. [...]
Do not forget Gaza.. And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”
© Al Jazeera
“If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed—most likely targeted—by the Israeli occupation forces. When this all began, I was only 21 years old—a college student with dreams like anyone else. For past 18 months, I have dedicated every moment of my life to my people. I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury. I slept on pavements, in schools, in tents—anywhere I could. Each day was a battle for survival. I endured hunger for months, yet I never left my people’s side.
By God, I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to report the truth, and now, I am finally at rest—something I haven’t known in the past 18 months . I did all this because I believe in the Palestinian cause. I believe this land is ours, and it has been the highest honor of my life to die defending it and serving its people.
I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is
free.”
© Hossam Shabat
“If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze–
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself–
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale”
© El Metmari
“ I chose journalism to be close to people. It might not be easy to change the reality but at least I could bring their voice to the world. I am Shireen Abu Akleh.”
© Al Jazeera
