The decision by the Union of Journalists in Israel, chaired by Yair Tarchitsky, to send Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot a letter regarding the death of a Palestinian journalist is not, by most accounts, a big deal. Nevertheless, the April 7 letter, which Tarchitsky delivered to Eizenkot, has been welcomed in Palestinian media. It was prominently featured by the widely read Maan News on April 7.

The union’s spokesperson, Noah Zlotnik, provided Al-Monitor with a copy of the letter in Hebrew, in which the syndicate requests that the army investigate the killing of Yasser Murtaja, by Israeli soldiers. He was shot on April 6 and died the following day. “We are convinced that the IDF share democratic values, including the importance of freedom of the press,” the letter reads.

Speaking to Al-Monitor by phone, Zlotnik reiterated that the union is concerned about freedom of expression, not only the rights of journalists as professionals. Regarding the latter, she stressed the belief that journalists, no matter their background, should not be targeted by the army. “No matter where they are from, be they Israeli, Palestinian or Norwegian, soldiers should know how to act and behave toward them.”

Ori Nir, the spokesperson for Americans for Peace Now and a former Israeli reporter who covered the occupied Palestinian territories during the first intifada, told Al-Monitor that the photos and videos coming out of Gaza cannot be disregarded. “The video and images clearly show six or seven journalists dressed as reporters [wearing vests marked 'PRESS'] and were shot on the same day. One of them was shot dead,” Nir remarked.