Five Palestinian journalists were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
The Gaza health ministry disclosed that the journalists died after an attack on Southern Gaza’s main hospital, which resulted in the death of no less than 20 people.
|
|
The slain journalists were affiliated with international outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye.
One of them, identified as Mohammad Salama, was an Al Jazeera journalist, and another, Hussam Al-Masri, worked with Reuters.
|
|
|
|---|
This comes two weeks after five Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, who was a prominent voice for the news channel, were killed in an attack near al-Shifa Hospital in the City.
The journalist had been targeted in an air raid at the hospital’s main gate alongside his colleagues.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that, shortly after the attack, Israeli forces claimed responsibility for the attack, describing Mr al-Sharif as a member of “Hamas terrorist organisation” who “posed as a journalist for Al Jazeera.”
Al Jazeera denied the Israeli claim and international human rights organisations condemned the killing.
Commenting on the latest attack, the Israeli military, in a statement, confirmed that it had carried out a strike in the area, adding that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.”
Meanwhile, the Gaza Ministry of Health said the hospital was hit with a “double tap” strike, implying that it was struck twice.
According to Gaza’s civil defence, at least one emergency responder was killed in the attack.
READ ALSO: EDITORIAL: Israel’s targeted mass killing of Gaza journalists must stop
So far, Israel has killed at least 62,744 people and wounded 158,259 in its war on Gaza.
Aside from the military strikes on Gaza, hunger and malnutrition are further aggravating the death toll in the strip.
Within the past 24 hours, about 11 people have died of starvation, including two children, as Israel’s restrictions on aid push Gaza deeper into famine.
According to the Gaza health ministry, malnutrition has so far claimed the lives of 300 people, including 117 children.
