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Akbar Novruz

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Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has rejected claims by the Israeli military that 170 journalists killed by its forces in the Gaza Strip were members of armed groups.

Albanese said there was “not a shred of evidence” to support allegations that the journalists had participated in military activities.

Her remarks came in response to an Israeli military statement saying an investigation had concluded that individuals who had “claimed to be journalists” were “actually terrorists belonging to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organisations in Gaza.”

The Israeli military's allegation concerns journalists killed during its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Albanese disputed the findings, saying there was “zero” evidence demonstrating that those identified by Israel had participated in military activities.

“As Western media starts its due diligence, Apartheid ‘Israel’ escalates disinformation,” Albanese wrote on X.

“The army has even a ‘legitimization cell’ fabricating stories to justify genocide. My next report exposes it all,” she added.

Albanese's references to “apartheid,” “disinformation” and “genocide” reflect her characterization of Israeli policies and military conduct. Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations that its operations in Gaza constitute genocide and maintains that its military campaign targets Hamas and other armed groups rather than journalists or civilians as such.