ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expresses its profound grief and strongest possible condemnation over the targeted killing of three media professionals in Southern Lebanon by Israeli forces. On Saturday, an Israeli strike directly targeted a media vehicle on the Jezzine highway, resulting in the martyrdom of Al-Manar TV journalist Ali Shoaib, Al-Mayadeen TV journalist Fatima Ftouni, and freelance photojournalist Mohamad Ftouni, says a press release.
PFUJ categorically rejects the unsubstantiated claims made by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) attempting to label journalists as military combatants to justify their assassination. We view the statement by the IDF Situation Room, accusing Ali Shoaib of being an intelligence-gatherer without providing a shred of evidence, as a desperate and recurring tactic to silence the messengers of truth. Targeting a clearly marked media car while journalists are en route to an assignment is a blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions, which grant journalists the same protections as civilians in conflict zones.
In a joint statement PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari said “The global community cannot remain a silent spectator to the systematic execution of journalists,” stated the PFUJ leadership. “Labeling media workers as ‘threats’ without proof is a license to kill that the IDF has used with impunity. This is not just an attack on individuals, but an assault on the freedom of the global press.”
This latest atrocity follows an unprecedented and bloodstained period for the media. Throughout 2025 and into early 2026, the Gaza Strip has become the most dangerous place in history for members of the press killing nearly 280 journalists. Since the escalation of hostilities, Israeli forces have killed a record number of journalists in Gaza, often targeting them in their homes alongside their families or while wearing clearly identifiable ‘PRESS’ vests in the field. These deliberate strikes are part of a broader strategy to enforce a complete information blackout and bury the evidence of civilian massacres, making the occupation forces responsible for what international observers describe as a ‘journalistic genocide.’
PFUJ calls upon the United Nations, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take immediate notice of these targeted killings. We demand an independent international commission to investigate these war crimes and ensure that those responsible for the blood of Ali Shoaib, Fatima Ftouni, Mohamad Ftouni, and their colleagues in Gaza are held accountable.
