For the first time in recent history, newsrooms across the world have coordinated a large-scale editorial protest in solidarity with journalists in Gaza. The front pages of print newspapers will be published in black with a strong written message. Television and radio stations will interrupt their programmes to broadcast a joint statement. Online media outlets will black out their homepages or publish a banner as a sign of solidarity. Individual journalists have also joined the campaign and will post messages on their social media accounts. 

This operation comes as 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip in less than 23 months, according to RSF data. On the night of 10 August alone, the Israeli army killed six journalists in a targeted strike against Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. Fifteen days later, on 25 August, the Israeli army killed five journalists in two consecutive strikes. In parallel to these killings, the Israeli army has barred foreign journalists from entering the Strip for nearly two years, leaving Palestinian journalists to cover the war while under fire. 

“At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. This isn’t just a war against Gaza, it’s a war against journalism. Journalists are being targeted, killed and defamed. Without them, who will alert us to the famine? Who will expose war crimes? Who will show us the genocides? Ten years after the unanimous adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2222, the whole world is witnessing the erosion of guarantees of international law for the protection of journalists. Solidarity from newsrooms and journalists around the world is essential. They should be thanked — this fraternity between reporters is what will save press freedom. Solidarity will save all freedoms.”

In line with the call launched by RSF and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in June, the media outlets involved in this campaign are making four demands.

• We demand the protection of Palestinian journalists and an end to the impunity for crimes perpetrated by the Israeli army against them in the Gaza Strip.
• We demand the foreign press be granted independent access to the Gaza Strip.
• We demand that governments across the world host Palestinian journalists seeking evacuation from Gaza.
• With the opening of the 80th United Nations General Assembly taking place in eight days, we demand strong action from the international community and call on the United Nations Security Council to stop the Israeli army's crimes against Palestinian journalists.

More than 250 media outlets in over 70 countries around the world are preparing to join the operation on Monday, 1 September. They include numerous daily newspapers and news websites: Mediapart (France), Al Jazeera (Qatar), The Independent (United Kingdom), +972 Magazine (Israel/Palestine), Local Call (Israel/Palestine), InfoLibre (Spain), Forbidden Stories (France), Frankfurter Rundschau (Germany), Der Freitag (Germany), RTVE (Spain), L'Humanité (France), The New Arab (United Kingdom), Daraj (Lebanon), New Bloom (Taiwan), Photon Media (Hong Kong), La Voix du Centre (Cameroon), Guinée Matin (Guinea), The Point (Gambia), L'Orient Le Jour (Lebanon), Media Today (South Korea), N1 (Serbia), KOHA (Kosovo), Public Interest Journalism Lab (Ukraine), Il Dubbio (Italy), Intercept Brasil (Brazil), Agência Pública (Brazil), Le Soir (Belgium), La Libre (Belgium), Le Desk (Morocco), Semanario Brecha (Uruguay)... and many others.