A Palestinian TV channel, Quds Today, reported that five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the journalists were in a van marked “press,” parked outside al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the wife of one journalist was reportedly giving birth.
Footage posted by Quds Today showed a burning vehicle with “press” markings. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strike targeted “Islamic Jihad operatives posing as journalists” and emphasized measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties.
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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep concern, reiterating that “journalists are civilians and must always be protected.”
The BBC noted it could not independently verify claims from either side due to restrictions on international media access to Gaza.
Quds Today is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an armed group involved in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing conflict. The channel is believed to receive funding from PIJ.
The IDF named the five killed as Ibrahim Jamal Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali, Faisal Abdallah Muhammad Abu Qamsan, Mohammed Ayad Khamis al-Ladaa, Ayman Nihad Abd Alrahman Jadi, and Fadi Ihab Muhammad Ramadan Hassouna.
They claimed intelligence identified four of them as PIJ operatives. Quds Today, however, stated the men were conducting media and humanitarian work.
The CPJ reported that, as of 20 December, at least 133 Palestinian journalists had been killed during the war, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers. The organization has called for accountability for journalists targeted in the conflict.
Severe cold claimed the life of a two-week-old girl in a Gaza tent camp, marking the third child death from hypothermia in a week. The family was in a humanitarian zone designated by the IDF but still hit by airstrikes.
Hopes for a ceasefire have diminished, with Hamas accusing Israel of imposing new conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Hamas was reneging on prior agreements.
The conflict, which began following Hamas’ 2023 attack, has resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and displaced nearly two million people, per UN estimates.
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