‘Five Journalists Killed in Gaza Airstrike’

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Five journalists of a television station linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a group designated as a “terrorist organization” by Israel, were killed Thursday in an Israeli air strike on their vehicle in Gaza, the network said.

PIJ-backed Al-Quds Today TV claimed that the missile hit their broadcast truck as it was parked in “the Nuseirat camp” in central Gaza despite being identified as a “press” vehicle.

The channel identified the five staffers as Faisal Abu Al-Qumsan, Ayman Al-Jadi, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Khalil, Fadi Hassouna, and Mohammed Al-Lada’a.

They were killed “while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty” close to the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, the outlet’s statement added.

However, the Israeli military stressed its air force had conducted a “precise” strike overnight on a vehicle in Nuseirat with a “terrorist cell” from the PIJ inside.

Yet the channel condemned the attack as a “Zionist assault on a broadcast vehicle.”

It comes amid broader concerns about the safety of journalists, though some have been accused of being Hamas or PIJ operatives.

HUNDREDS KILLED, INJURED

The Palestinian Journalists’ Union says that the ongoing war in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 190 journalists, with over 400 others injured since the war began.

Israel says it tries to avoid civilian casualties in the war, which was sparked by an attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023.

In a separate airstrike in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood, local doctors reported Thursday that five civilians were killed and at least 20 others were injured when a house was struck.

Rescue teams said they fear the death toll could rise further as many people remain trapped under the rubble following the apparent Israeli air strike.

Israel has accused groups such as Hamas and PIJ of hiding its weapons and fighters among civilians.

Since October 7, 2023, more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, though those figures have been complex to verify independently.

Israel says nearly half of those killed are Hamas fighters. Over 1,700 Israeli and foreign nationals have been killed in attacks in or originated from Gaza, according to Israeli sources, with more suffering expected in the coming days.

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