CAIRO: The Arab League praised on Wednesday the journalists’ great sacrifices in the ongoing Zionist occupation war against the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Assistant Secretary General and League’s Head of the Media and Media Communication Sector Ambassador Ahmad Khattabi said on Arab Media Day, April 21st, that commemorating this occasion comes in an exceptional context with the continued aggression against Gaza, the catastrophic humanitarian crisis of Gaza residents, and Palestinians’ persistence in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, against settlement practices and repeated incursions.

Khattabi added that the Zionist occupation’s aggression caused destruction by targeting residential areas, civil, educational, and hospital facilities, as well as public facilities and places of worship, a situation that worsened with the occupation’s obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid and relief teams. He announced that the League will host, on April 22nd, a meeting of the assessing committee for the eighth session of the Media Excellence Award, which was allocated this year to Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Media.

Nearly 100 works submitted by member states and media unions to obtain this award dealt with the remnants and tragic narratives of the aggression against the Gaza Strip, noted Khattabi. Arab Media Day is commemorated on April 21st yearly, in accordance with the resolution issued by the 46th session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers, in line with the objectives of the Arab League’s Charter, the terms of reference for joint Arab media work, and the implications of encouraging innovation. — KUNA