An Israeli air strike killed five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked vehicle outside a hospital in central Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities and multiple media reports.
The journalists from the Al-Quds Today broadcaster were outside al-Awda Hospital, in Nuseirat refugee camp, when their van was struck by an Israeli strike on Thursday morning.
Images from the scene show a white coloured van with the word “Press” clearly written in large red letters, engulfed in flames.
The slain journalists were Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsa and Ayman al-Jadi.
Jadi had gone to al-Awda hospital with his wife, who was giving birth to their first child.
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According to Wafa news agency, whilst waiting for his wife, he decided to check in on his colleagues who were outside the hospital in the vehicle.
His brother, photographer Omar al-Jadi, documented the moments after the Israeli strike hit the vehicle.
“Guys, Ayman is inside, Ayman… my brother is martyred,” he shouted in the video as he helplessly filmed the burning van.
Al-Quds Today condemned the attack and said its reporters were killed “while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty”.
The government media office in Gaza also condemned the killings, urging the international community and rights groups to condemn Israeli crimes and prosecute them before international courts.
Israel’s military confirmed that it carried out that strike, stating that it was targeting a vehicle that it said carried members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It provided no evidence of the claim.
On several occasions since Israel’s war on Gaza began over a year ago, the military has killed journalists and subsequently stated that they were fighters, providing no evidence, or highly questionable evidence.
‘Guys, Ayman is inside, Ayman… my brother is martyred’
– Omar al-Jadi, photojournalist
In one example, when Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul on 31 July, it claimed he was a Hamas fighter who received a military ranking in 2007 – when he would have been just ten years old.
Al Jazeera also noted that Ghoul had been detained by Israel earlier during the war and subsequently released without any charge.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 141 journalists have been killed since the war began.
Palestinian officials put the figure of journalists in Gaza killed by Israeli forces since October last year at 201.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza is nearing 45,400, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The majority of those killed were women and children.
