Middle East Eye Editor David Hearst Demands Urgent Action from UK Prime Minister Over Killing of Journalists in Gaza

August 27, 2025 – United Kingdom/Palestine –

David Hearst, editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye (MEE), has issued a blistering letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the deaths of two MEE journalists killed in Gaza. In the open letter, Hearst posed a series of pointed questions, demanding an international investigation into Israel’s repeated targeting of journalists. He also sought clarity on whether the UK’s Ministry of Defence holds surveillance flight data from early August, which has not been disclosed.

The move came amid mounting concern over the unprecedented loss of media lives: since October 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports at least 189 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed—the deadliest toll since CPJ’s records began.

Parallel to Hearst’s letter, Britain’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) held a vigil outside Downing Street. They delivered a letter to No. 10 demanding more decisive action to safeguard journalists in Gaza, calling for greater UK support for an ICC investigation and the safe access of foreign reporters to the region.

Hearst’s questions to Starmer are particularly significant amid the UK’s historically cautious stance on Middle East diplomacy. The editor-in-chief’s demands underscore mounting frustration within the media community over the UK government’s failure to translate concern into policy.

As the global tally of slain journalists continues to climb, MEE’s letter, backed by symbolic gestures like the NUJ’s vigil, puts mounting pressure on the UK to move beyond verbal condemnation toward tangible protections and accountability.

References –

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mee-editor-chief-writes-british-pm-over-killing-mee-journalists