The senators urged for the protection of journalists in Gaza and international media access to the territory.

A group of 17 US senators has written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, condemning an Israeli attack last week that killed several Al Jazeera journalists, and urging the US to pressure Israel to grant foreign media access to Gaza and protect journalists there.

The letter [pdf] published on Wednesday was led by Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz and signed by 16 other senators, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a registered independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

It comes a week after an Israeli strike killed several Palestinian journalists in the besieged territory, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and Al Jazeera cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal.

The attack was met with international outcry and brought the number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to 238, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

“Israel has not provided convincing evidence for its claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas militant,” the senators wrote. “Absent a compelling explanation of the military objective for this attack, it appears Israel is publicly admitting to targeting and killing journalists who have shown the world the scale of suffering in Gaza, which would be a violation of international law.”

The group urged President Donald Trump’s administration to provide more information about the State Department’s “awareness and analysis” of the strike.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters last week that the department discussed al-Sharif’s killing with Israel, and reiterated Israel’s unverified claim that he may have had ties to Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza.

Al Jazeera has accused Israeli authorities of fabricating evidence to link its staff to Hamas, and denounced Israel’s military for waging a “campaign of incitement” against its journalists in the Gaza Strip, including al-Sharif.

The senators called for the US to “make it clear to Israel that banning and censoring media organizations and targeting or threatening members of the press is unacceptable and must stop.”

“We urge you to press the Israeli government to protect journalists in Gaza and allow international media to access the territory.”

The senators’ letter also called for unrestricted and immediate access for foreign journalists to cover Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

While Palestinian journalists in Gaza cover Israel’s devastating war, Israel has barred international journalists from entering the Strip.

The letter also voiced concern for Israel’s attacks on press freedom elsewhere. The group condemned the killings of journalists in Lebanon, Israel’s crackdown on journalists and media outlets in the occupied West Bank, harassment by Israeli soldiers of journalists in southern Syria, and the legal threats and censorship faced by Israeli journalists and media organisations.

The Washington Post on Wednesday night also reported that a member of the press office for the US State Department’s Bureau of Near East Affairs, Shahed Ghoreishi, was fired after suggesting Washington offer condolences for the journalists killed in Gaza.