Israel Killed 5 Journalists In Gaza; Israel Says "Targeted" Attack (X image@ Khames.alrefi)
Gaza, Palestine: Israel has killed five journalists in Gaza in an airstrike near a hospital in central Gaza, said a media report. The journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel were covering events near al-Awda Hospital, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, when their broadcasting van was hit by an Israeli air strike, as per the report. Footages of the scene circulating on social media showed a van engulfed in flames. The white coloured vehicle had the word “press” written in large red lettering across the back of the vehicle.
The journalists were identified as Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.
Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif reported that Ayman al-Jadi had been waiting for his wife in front of the hospital while she was in labour to give birth to their first child.
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Israel Occupation Force (IOF) said it had carried out a “targeted” attack against a vehicle carrying members of Islamic Jihad and that it would continue to take action against “terrorist organizations” in Gaza. “Prior to the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weapons, aerial observations, and additional intelligence information”, IOF said in a post on X.
Israel has been targeting Palestinians journalists from Gaza, who has been reporting from the battle ground. Earlier this month, four journalists were killed within the span of a week. The killing was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It called on the international community to hold the country accountable for its attacks against the media. Over 141 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, said CPJ.
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Israel has been targeting journalists, heath workers, and UN volunteers claiming them to be working for Hamas, or Islamic Jihad, without providing solid proof for their targeting.
