Early Thursday, an Israeli airstrike struck a broadcasting van hired by five journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel that was to be stationed outside a hospital, al-Awda Hospital, in Gaza’s al-Nuseirat refugee camp. The married journalists: Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan, and Ayman al-Jadi, were all at the hospital when their car one with the word ”PRESS” on it in bold large red letters- was struck.
In a statement, Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned the killing, calling upon the international community and all rights groups to condemn such crimes by Israel and prosecute the offenders in international courts. This brings the total number of journalists in Gaza killed by Israel since October last year to 201.
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Al Jazeera correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, reported that al-Jadi was waiting for his wife who was admitted for childbirth of their first child outside the hospital at the time of the attack. Footage of the scene captured the van ablaze as civil defense teams recovered bodies and extinguished the flames.
The Israeli military acknowledged the attack, saying it was aimed at a vehicle transporting the Islamic Jihad members. The killings were condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which demanded accountability.
Ever since Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, almost 45,400 people, most of whom were women and children, have been killed in the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza by Israel. Last month, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, were issued arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza by the International Criminal Court. Similarly, Israel is facing a genocide case in the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.