On a quiet Sunday evening, the city of Goulburn in Australia became an unlikely focal point of global conscience. Residents gathered in Belmore Park, candles flickering in the dusk, to honor the lives of more than 240 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed during the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. The vigil, organized through social media and word of mouth, was more than just a local event—it was a poignant reminder of the human cost of war, and of the dangers faced by those who risk everything to report its truths.
Bill Dorman, one of the event’s coordinators, addressed the crowd with a question that lingered in the cool evening air: "If you don't stand up to these things, where does it end?" The vigil included speeches, a candlelighting ceremony, and the reading of a statement from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding press freedom. The CPJ’s board includes notable figures such as Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, underscoring the global reach and significance of the issue.
At the heart of the gathering was the recent tragedy at the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza. On August 25, 2025, a double Israeli airstrike on the hospital killed five Palestinian journalists alongside other civilians and rescue workers. Among the journalists lost were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, Associated Press photographer Mariam Dagga, Al Jazeera photographer Mohammad Salama, and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha. The attack, which international media outlets like CNN and the BBC analyzed in detail, involved at least three to four missiles striking in quick succession. Bloodied cameras recovered from the stairwell after the strikes served as grim evidence of the dangers faced by media workers on the frontlines.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) later denied intentionally targeting journalists, calling the incident a "tragic mishap." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, expressing rare regret after worldwide condemnation. The IDF claimed that six rescue workers at the scene were members of Hamas but provided no clear evidence to support this assertion. The military also stated that the initial target was "a camera that was positioned by Hamas in the area of the Nasser hospital that was being used to observe the activity of IDF troops." However, they did not clarify whether they had confused the Reuters live feed camera with a Hamas surveillance device or how they came to believe that Hamas had positioned a camera on the stairwell in the first place.
For many, including the CPJ, these explanations fall painfully short. Sara Qudah, a representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, did not mince words: "Regardless of whether the journalists were the target or not, this is still a war crime. The Israelis hit a medical complex known to be a place with media and civilians inside. Whether it is a double tap or three strikes, this double tap by itself is a war crime. If you eliminate a terrorist and the first strike hits – why do you need to hit again?" The CPJ has called for an independent investigation, arguing that the strikes fit a wider, "deeply troubling pattern of lethal attacks on the media."
The numbers are staggering. According to the United Nations, at least 247 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages. Israel has banned all international journalists from entering Gaza during the conflict, leaving the world reliant on Palestinian reporters who are themselves enduring starvation, mass displacement, and relentless bombardment. As Plestia Alaqad, a Palestinian journalist and author of the memoir The Eyes of Gaza, noted, "We need to appreciate what these journalists are doing while they are alive. When a journalist gets killed, you’ll see their name and story all over the news. Then it’s too late."
Alaqad’s words carry the weight of personal loss. She has watched as her former colleagues and mentor were killed during the 22-month-long assault on Gaza. Two weeks before the Nasser hospital strike, six journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in a targeted drone attack. The Israeli military later claimed, without providing evidence, that Sharif fought with Hamas—a claim he had previously denied. The deaths of these journalists, Alaqad fears, are only truly considered after they are gone.
The dangers are not new. Alaqad, now in Beirut on a fellowship named for slain Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, reflects on a troubling legacy. Abu Akleh was shot by the Israeli military in 2022 while reporting on the outskirts of Jenin. Despite numerous IDF investigations into the deaths of 20 journalists over two decades, the CPJ notes that "no one has ever been charged or held responsible for these deaths. The impunity in these cases has severely undermined the freedom of the press." Even after international outcry and promises of investigations—such as those following the shooting of Abu Akleh and the 2023 tank shelling in Lebanon that killed Reuters cameraman Issam Abdallah—no individual soldier has been held accountable.
At the Goulburn vigil, the sense of solidarity extended beyond national or religious lines. Organizers emphasized that they did not condone Hamas’s actions, nor were they taking a stance against Jewish people. As Dorman pointed out, many Israelis also want an end to the war. Helen Rainger, another speaker, spoke about aid shipments bound for Gaza and urged those gathered to support humanitarian assistance and pray for peace. Amy Fraser, who started the Instagram page Free Palestine Goulburn, added her voice to the call for awareness and empathy.
The vigil was peaceful, a "showing of conscience" as Dorman described it, and organizers hope to continue holding such events every Sunday evening. "It's grassroots awareness, and we'll see what grows from it," he said. The gathering at Belmore Park was just one of many taking place around the world, as people grapple with the implications of a conflict that has turned journalists—traditionally the eyes and ears of the world—into its casualties.
For Alaqad, the stakes are existential. Reflecting on the live television feed that captured the moment her colleagues were killed at Nasser hospital, she remarked, "I don’t think anyone wants to live in a world where journalists are killed live on television. I believe at this point it’s no longer about Palestinians as much as it is about the world we want to live in."
As candles burned in Goulburn and across the globe, the message was clear: the struggle for truth, safety, and accountability in war is not just a local or regional issue—it is a test of our collective humanity.