Israel kills 5 journalists with identification in Gaza

Al-Quds Today staff were attacked outside a hospital as the number of media workers killed by Israeli forces surpasses 200

An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked vehicle outside a hospital in central Gaza, according to Palestinian officials and multiple media reports.

Al-Quds Today journalists were outside al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp when their van was hit by an Israeli strike on Thursday morning.

Images from the scene show a white van with the word “press” clearly written in large red letters, engulfed in flames.

“The van was completely burned and destroyed. It was completely engulfed in flames,” said Middle East Eye reporter Hani Aburezeq from the scene.

Our jornalists assassinados foram Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.

Jadi went to al-Awda Hospital with his wife, who was giving birth to their first child.

According to Wafa news agency, while waiting for his wife, he decided to take a look at his colleagues who were outside the hospital in the vehicle.

His brother, photographer Omar al-Jadi, documented the moments after the Israeli attack hit the vehicle.

“Guys, Ayman is inside. Ayman, my brother, is martyred,” he shouted in the video as he helplessly filmed the burning van.

Aburezeq said: “Our colleague Ayman was here because his wife was about to give birth. Tragically, he was martyred on the same day his son was born.”

Al-Quds Today condemned the attack and said its reporters were killed “while carrying out their journalistic and humanitarian duty.”

The Gaza government’s media office also condemned the killings, calling on the international community and human rights groups to condemn Israeli crimes and prosecute them in international courts.

The Israeli army confirmed that it carried out the attack, claiming that it targeted a vehicle carrying members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, it did not provide any evidence to support its claim.

Since Israel’s war in Gaza began more than a year ago, the military has killed journalists on several occasions and then claimed they were combatants, often without providing evidence or with evidence widely questioned.

‘Ayman was martyred on the same day his son was born’

– Hani Aburezeq, journalist

In one example, when Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul on July 31, they claimed he was a Hamas fighter who had received a military rank in 2007 — when he was just 10 years old.

Al Jazeera also noted that Ghoul had been detained by Israel at the start of the war and later released without any charges.

“The Israeli army is attacking journalists to instill fear among them, but our colleagues remain firm and will not stop broadcasting what is happening here,” Aburezeq said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 141 journalists have been killed since the start of the war.

Palestinian authorities estimate that 201 journalists have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since October last year.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza is approaching 45,400, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Most of the dead were women and children.

With information from Middle East Eye*