The Trade Union of Croatian Journalists and the Croatian Journalists’ Association today sent an open letter to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, ministers, and members of Parliament, warning against the silence of Croatian authorities in the face of the grave crimes unfolding in Gaza. While the civilian population – including journalists – is being systematically starved, the Croatian Government continues to choose political restraint over moral responsibility. In the letter, we demand that Croatia unequivocally condemn the Israeli blockade and the use of starvation as a weapon, support the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, call for an international investigation, and enable the urgent protection of journalists and the evacuation of civilians. We will deliver the letter not only by email but also in person, and we will leave photographs of starving children and civilians from Gaza at the entrances to institutions – as a reminder to all those pretending not to see the crimes in Gaza. Below is the letter addressed to the Croatian authorities:
Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Minister of Culture and Media, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and Members of the Croatian Parliament,
We address you as representatives of the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (SNH) and the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) at a time when the world is witnessing one of the most severe humanitarian catastrophes. We, SNH and HND, express deep solidarity with all civilians who are dying today because the world dares not act decisively, and with our fellow journalists who, despite everything, continue to carry out their journalistic duties. Regrettably, the Croatian Government is displaying restraint – at a time when every honest state should demonstrate courage.
We are witnessing the systematic, deliberate starvation of people in Gaza – people who have had no access to food, water, medical supplies, or shelter for days. Children are dying of exhaustion in the arms of parents who cannot feed them. In hospitals, babies are suffering from severe malnutrition, while humanitarian aid convoys remain blocked. This is not the result of a natural disaster – it is a political decision, a form of collective punishment orchestrated by the Israeli government.
What is happening in Gaza today is a war crime: hunger is being used as a weapon, and the denial of basic necessities for life – including medicine and clean water – is occurring before the eyes of the world. And before our eyes, too. The only remaining witnesses to the crimes and suffering are local journalists. Under blockade and with foreign journalists explicitly banned from entering, they risk their lives daily to bring the truth to the world. And now they, too, are being silenced through hunger.
The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) warn that journalists in Gaza have reached the point of physical collapse: they are starving, losing consciousness, losing strength – and with that, the ability to do their jobs. According to IFJ data, 171 journalists and media workers have been killed in the area. Their deaths send a dangerous message: that the truth must not be heard. By closing Gaza to foreign reporters, the Israeli military is suppressing freedom of expression and the public’s right to know. We are witnessing the literal silencing of the voices of truth – journalists – by starving them to death.
The refusal of Croatian diplomacy to support a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, along with the absence of a clear condemnation of the blockade of aid and attacks on journalists, is deeply disappointing and morally unacceptable. Even the announced humanitarian aid loses its significance without a firm political decision and position.
We demand that the Government of the Republic of Croatia clearly define its stance on the genocide in Gaza, stop hiding behind neutral formulations, and no longer avoid taking concrete positions.
We demand that Croatia publicly and formally support the suspension of the EU-Israel agreement, the urgent evacuation of those in immediate danger, international demands to allow foreign journalists access to Gaza, the protection of local reporters, and the joining calls for an international investigation into systematic starvation as a war crime.
Croatia must stand on the side of truth, humanity, and international law. We expect the Government of the Republic of Croatia to strongly support international law and the protection of human rights.
When the truth is being starved into silence — it is our duty to speak even louder. It is a moral and political disgrace that the Croatian Government remains silent in this moment.
Maja Sever, President of the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists
Hrvoje Zovko, President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
