Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza killed 23, Including Journalist and Family Members
At least 23 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives in multiple Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including a journalist and a high-ranking rescue service official. This development occurs as the ongoing conflict in the besieged enclave shows no signs of abating.
Gaza health officials reported that local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed when Israeli forces targeted their residence in the Jabalia al-Nazla neighborhood in northern Gaza early on Sunday.
Reports indicate that an Israeli airstrike targeted the home of Ashraf Abu Nar, a prominent figure in the civil emergency service, resulting in his and his wife’s deaths in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Additional casualties were reported in the southern city of Khan Yunis, amid targeted operations by the Israeli military.
The media office of Gaza’s government reported that the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the Gaza conflict has increased to 220. This follows the recent death of Abu Warda, the director of Barq Gaza news agency, amid the ongoing deadly assaults against the besieged enclave.
The media office has issued a strong condemnation against the systematic targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli authorities. It declared, “We hold the Israeli regime, the US administration, and nations complicit in acts of genocide—such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France—fully accountable for these brutal and heinous crimes.”
The media office has urged the international community, along with pertinent media and journalistic organizations globally, to denounce Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza. The office is calling for the pursuit of justice against those they label as Israeli “war criminals.”
The statement called for immediate action to pressure for the cessation of what was described as the Israeli regime’s ongoing genocide, to ensure the safety of journalists and media personnel in Gaza, and to stop the targeted killings.
Journalists covering events in the Palestinian territory are encountering heightened risks as they report on the ongoing conflict, characterized by Israeli ground operations and airstrikes. This is further compounded by disrupted communications, shortages of essential supplies, and widespread power outages.
On October 7, 2023, Israel initiated a military campaign in Gaza, resulting in the reported deaths of at least 54,000 Palestinians, as stated by Gaza’s health ministry.
Israeli forces have imposed a comprehensive blockade on Gaza, closing all border crossings and significantly limiting the access of humanitarian aid, fuel, and food supplies.
