PPF concerned over demolition of Al-Aqsa headquarters in Gaza

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Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Mahmoud Abbas, President of State of Palestine and Palestinian National Authority has expressed concern over the demolition of Al-Aqsa TV headquarters in Gaza.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali has called on the authorities and international organizations of media freedom to thoroughly investigate this matter and hold the perpetrators responsible for attacking journalists and media houses in Gaza and Palestine.

According to Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (MADA), the Israeli warplanes attacked the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV on November 12, about half an hour after the end of a security meeting organized the Israeli leadership with the involvement of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Kiryah Military Base near Tel Aviv.

The attack was made after an announcement by the Israeli media that the Israeli army was given approval to carry out more attacks on Gaza.

Mr. Ibrahim Thaher, Director of Al-Aqsa TV stated, that office of the channel received a threatening phone call by Israeli Intelligence in which it was informed that the headquarters will be destroyed. Thus, immediately after the phone call the staff was evacuated from the office and ten minutes later the headquarters was bombarded with drones which led to the demolition of the headquarters and the disruption of its transmission.

This is the third time that the headquarters of Al-Aqsa had been demolished by the Israeli Occupation Army. In 2008, a five-floor headquarter of the channel was demolished during the conflict in Gaza. Again in 2014, during the war in Gaza the Israeli Occupation Army destroyed the three headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV.

The attacks on the headquarters of TV is part of Israeli systematic targeting intended at suppressing the media and journalists and hiding the attacks in Palestine. A total of 61 head offices of the media organization were destroyed in Gaza Strip during the years 2008, 2012 and 2014. It is also pertinent to mention that in 2014, 17 journalists were killed in Gaza Strip.