Al Jazeera appeals to global media community to protect journalists in Gaza from 'forced starvation'
New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI): The Al Jazeera Media Network has called upon the journalistic community, organisations advocating press freedom and legal bodies to take "decisive action" to put an end to the "forced starvation" and crimes against media professionals in Gaza.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Doha-based media network said for more than 21 months, the Israeli bombardment and the "systematic starvation" of the nearly 20 lakh people of Gaza have "pushed an entire population to the brink of survival".
"Al Jazeera Media Network urgently calls upon the journalistic community, press freedom organisations, and relevant legal bodies to take decisive action to halt the forced starvation and crimes against journalists and media professionals in Gaza," it said.
The journalists on the ground, who have courageously reported on this ongoing "genocide", have risked their lives and the safety of their families to shed light on these "atrocities", the press release said, adding that "however, they now find themselves fighting for their own survival".
On July 19, Al Jazeera journalists began posting "heart-wrenching" messages on social media, signalling that their capacity to continue was waning, it said.
"One powerful post by Anas AlShariff, Al Jazeera Arabic channel correspondent in Gaza, stated, 'I haven't stopped covering for a moment in 21 months, and today, I say it outright.... And with indescribable pain. I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment.... Gaza is dying. And we die with it,'" the release said.
Commenting on the plight of journalists in Gaza, Dr Mostefa Souag, director general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, said, "We owe it to the courageous journalists in Gaza to amplify their voices and put an end to the unbearable suffering they are enduring due to forced starvation and targeted killings by Israeli occupation forces."
"The journalistic community and the world bear an immense responsibility. It is our duty to raise our voices and mobilise all available means to support our colleagues in this noble profession. If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories. Our inaction will be recorded in history as a monumental failure to protect our fellow journalists and a betrayal of the principles that every journalist strives to uphold," he added.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed five Al Jazeera journalists -- Samer Abudaqqa, Hamza AlDahdouh, Ismael Al-Ghoul, Ahmed Al-Louh and Hossam Shabat -- and several family members of journalists working for Al Jazeera and other media organisations, the release said.
"Yet, these courageous journalists, along with their colleagues, refuse to succumb to the threats and pressure tactics employed by the Israeli authorities to silence them.
"Submission to such intimidation would have resulted in an almost total blackout of coverage of the ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and crimes against humanity inflicted upon the civilian population of Gaza," it added.
The media network called for immediate action by the international organisations concerned to put an end to this "forced starvation that does not spare journalists who are the bearers of truth".
Al Jazeera Media Network urgently calls upon the journalistic community, press freedom organisations, and relevant legal bodies to take decisive action to halt the forced starvation and crimes against journalists and media professionals in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/7KhLrrKUSU
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 23, 2025
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Railways announces 84 special trains following IndiGo flight cancellations
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways announced 84 special trains across all zones for Saturday to help people facing travel disruptions due to the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo.
In a coordinated move by the Railway Ministry, the trains, which are to make 104 trips, were arranged in the shortest possible time after analysis of train traffic situations in major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah, among others.
"The number of special trains and their trips might increase further depending on the traffic scenario. All zones have been asked to make use of all available resources, including rolling stock as well as manpower, to safely operate these trains for the convenience of lakhs of passengers stranded at different parts of the country due to flight cancellations," said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board.
Officials said efforts are being made to make people aware about the trains, and some divisions have even disseminated information at nearby airports to help passengers.
South Eastern Railway has issued a press release and informed the Airport Authority to display information regarding the newly introduced special train services.
ALSO READ: SWR announces special trains for passengers stranded by large-scale IndiGo cancellations
"Western Railway will run seven special trains on a special fare between Mumbai Central-New Delhi, Mumbai Central-Bhiwani, Mumbai Central-Shakur Basti, Bandra Terminus-Durgapura, Valsad-Bilaspur, Sabarmati-Delhi and Sabarmati-Delhi Sarai Rohilla stations," a press note said.
Similarly, South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights.
Central Railway and Northern Railway have planned 14 and 10 special trains respectively, and officials said these numbers are being further reviewed to meet any rising requirements.
Other zones have also issued notifications regarding special trains along with their schedules.
For at least five days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have significantly disrupted, with a large number of cancellations and delays causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In many cases, baggages have been misplaced.
