Israel kills five journalists in clearly marked press vehicle in Gaza
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 Al-Quds Today were outside al-Awda Hospital in the 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 van was entirely burnt and destroyed. It was fully engulfed in flames," Middle East Eye's reporter Hani Aburezeq said from the scene.
The slain journalists were Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.
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Jadi had gone to al-Awda Hospital with his wife, who was giving birth to their first child.
According to the Wafa news agency, while 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.
Aburezeq said: "Our colleague Ayman was here because his wife was about to deliver a baby. Tragically, he was martyred on the same day his son was born."
Al-Quds Today condemned the attack and said its reporters were killed "while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty".
Gaza's government media office also condemned the killings, calling on the international community and rights groups to condemn Israeli crimes and prosecute them in international courts.
Israel's military confirmed that it carried out the strike, claiming it targeted a vehicle carrying members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, it provided no evidence to support its claim.
Since Israel's war on Gaza began over a year ago, the military has, on several occasions, killed journalists and later claimed they were fighters, often providing no evidence or evidence that has been widely questioned.
'Ayman was martyred on the same day his son was born'
- Hani Aburezeq, journalist
In one example, when Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul on 31 July, they claimed he was a Hamas fighter who had received a military ranking in 2007 - when he would have been just 10 years old.
Al Jazeera also noted that Ghoul had been detained by Israel earlier during the war and subsequently released without any charges.
"The Israeli army is targeting journalists to instil fear amongst them, but our colleagues remain steadfast and will not stop broadcasting what is happening here," said Aburezeq.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 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.
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