Israeli airstrikes have killed five Palestinian journalists in a targeted strike in central Gaza, their employer confirmed. The victims were sleeping in their broadcasting truck when it was hit by an Israeli military direct strike. Another 32 people were killed in other pre-dawn strikes across the territory.
Israel claims it conducted a “precise strike” on a vehicle with an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell inside Nuseirat, and struck military targets in Yemen. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported three deaths and 11 injuries from Israeli airstrikes targeting airport and port facilities.
The World Health Organization’s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said there was damage but he was safe at Sana’a airport during an Israeli bombardment. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said 195 journalists have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, including those who died in this latest attack.
The IDF denies targeting media workers, but a Guardian investigation found some military personnel viewed journalists working for militant-affiliated outlets as legitimate targets. Foreign media are blocked from freely entering Gaza, leaving Palestinian journalists to document the war.
The Middle East branch of the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “devastated” by reports of the five journalists’ deaths, stating journalists must always be protected under the Geneva conventions. The war has triggered a humanitarian crisis amid allegations Israel is blocking aid and medicine, and seeking to depopulate the Gaza Strip.
Renewed ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are at an impasse, with both sides trading blame for reneging on understandings that had already been reached. Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the contested Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem, sparking controversy over his actions.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/26/five-palestinian-journalists-killed-israeli-strike-gaza