Hamas called Israel’s strike on Beit Lahia a ‘dangerous escalation’ [Getty/file photo]
Gaza’s civil defence agency said nine people including journalists were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, attacks which could further endanger the fragile truce in the Palestinian territory.
Following the strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire took hold on January 19, Hamas accused Israel of a “blatant violation” of the truce which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.
At least 150 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire’s first phase ended, Hamas’ health ministry said on Saturday.
The truce’s first phase ended on March 1 without agreement on the next steps, with Hamas insisting on moving onto the second phase, which Israel has refused. Tel Aviv has requested that the first phase of the truce is extended instead.
A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday fresh talks had begun in Doha, with Israel also sending negotiators.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his negotiating team “to prepare for the continuation” of indirect talks with Hamas on the ceasefire, a statement from his office said on Saturday.
On Saturday, Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that “nine martyrs have been transferred (to hospital), including several journalists and a number of workers from the Al-Khair Charitable Organisation”.
He said the killings were “a result of the occupation (Israel) targeting a vehicle with a drone in the town of Beit Lahia, coinciding with artillery shelling on the same area”.
The health ministry in Gaza said “nine martyrs and several injured, including critical cases” were taken to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.
Israel’s military claimed it hit “two terrorists operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops in the area of Beit Lahia”.
‘Systematic targeting’Â
Israel has carried out near-daily air strikes in Gaza since early March, often targeting what the military said were “militants” planting explosives.
“The occupation has committed a horrific massacre in the northern Gaza Strip by targeting a group of journalists and humanitarian workers, in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
A separate Hamas statement called the attack “a dangerous escalation”, adding that it “reaffirms (Israel’s) intent to backtrack on the ceasefire agreement and intentionally obstruct any opportunity to complete the agreement and carry out the prisoner swap”.
During the truce’s initial six-week phase, Hamas released 33 captives, including eight who were dead, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
There are still 58 hostages held in Gaza, 34 of whom the Israeli army has declared dead.
Hamas said on Saturday that “the ball is in Israel’s court” after offering to release an Israeli-US hostage and return the bodies of four others as part of the truce talks.
‘Very bad bet’
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that among those killed on Saturday were an editor and three photo journalists. One was a drone photography specialist, according to the civil defence agency.
The syndicate’s deputy head in Gaza, Tahseen al-Astal, told AFP that the attack targeted an Al-Khair charity vehicle, where the journalists were “preparing reports and documentaries on the work of charitable organisations during the month of Ramadan”.
Two Al-Khair members were also among those identified as killed, including a spokesperson, the civil defence agency said.
“This heinous crime comes in the context of the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists,” a Palestinian Journalists Syndicate statement said.
“The continuation of these brutal attacks against journalists constitutes a war crime and a blatant violation of international laws, especially the Geneva Convention, which guarantees the protection of journalists during conflicts.”
In November, Reporters without Borders said that more than 140 journalists had been killed in Gaza by Israel’s war since 7 October, 2023.
