Valerie Zink has accused Western outlets of perpetuating Israeli propaganda and contributing to the deaths of dozens of reporters

Canadian photojournalist Valerie Zink has resigned as a Reuters stringer after eight years, alleging the agency has been "justifying and enabling" Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza, including members of its own staff.

Her announcement came hours after an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza, that killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, according to local health officials.

In a Facebook post, Zink accused Reuters and other Western media of amplifying unverified Israeli claims linking reporters to Hamas militants, arguing that this has contributed to conditions in which dozens of journalists have been killed since October 2023.

She cited the case of Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, who was killed with his crew in Gaza City earlier this month.

"Reuters chose to publish Israel's entirely baseless claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas operative," she wrote. Prior to the attack, the Israeli military alleged al-Sharif was a Hamas commander but provided no evidence.

"The fact that Anas Al-Sharif's work won a Pulitzer Prize for Reuters did not compel them to come to his defence when Israeli occupation forces placed him on a hit list," she added.

Zink also criticized Reuters' response to the killing of its own staff, noting that cameraman Hossam al-Masri was among those killed at Nasser Hospital.

Western media, she said, were "culpable" by repeating Israeli claims without verification, acting as "a conveyor belt for Israeli propaganda."

The number of journalists killed in Gaza since 2023 has now reached 245, according to press freedom groups.

(RT.com)