Israeli strike kills five Palestinian journalists during their sleep

The Israeli occupation army launched a missile strike on a press van in Gaza overnight, killing ten Palestinians, including five journalists who were sleeping inside the vehicle.

The attack took place outside Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the journalists, affiliated with Al-Quds Today Television, had stationed their vehicle.

The victims' bodies were severely burned and were retrieved from the wreckage 20 minutes after the attack.

The journalists killed in the strike were identified as Ayman Al-Jadi, Faisal Abu Al-Qumsan, Mohammed Al-Lada’a, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali, and Fadi Hassouna.

Al-Quds Today Television condemned the incident and confirmed the loss of its five team members.

Israeli authorities claimed the missile targeted a Jihad cell in the Nuseirat refugee camp but provided no substantial evidence to support their claim. This pattern of unverified attacks targeting civilians continues without any accountability of the Israeli authorities by the international organisations.

In the last 10 days alone, Israel has killed 11 journalists while continuing to target patients, medical staff, and innocent civilians in Gaza.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 141 media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since October 7 last year. Of these, 133 were Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

Despite facing violence and threats, Palestinian journalists continue to report on Israeli war crimes, while all communication with Gaza has been cut off as Israeli forces blacked out phone and internet connections in the enclave.

The overall Palestinian death toll since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza has reached at least 45,361 with more than 107,803 wounded. Thousands more remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.