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May 18, 2025 – Palestine/Israel –
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza has claimed the lives of five more Palestinian journalists, pushing the total number of media professionals killed in the Strip since October 7, 2023, to 222. These latest casualties highlight the increasingly perilous conditions for journalists attempting to report on the ground.
Among those killed was photojournalist Aziz al-Hajjar, who died alongside his wife and children after Israeli warplanes targeted their home in the Saftawi neighborhood of northern Gaza. Al-Hajjar’s death marks yet another instance of entire families being wiped out in residential bombings.
In a separate incident, the family of journalist Abdul Rahman Tawfiq al-Abadala confirmed his death after losing contact with him two days earlier. He was killed in an Israeli bombardment in al-Qarara, a town north of Khan Yunis. His loss was confirmed with deep sorrow, as his family had been holding onto hope until they received word of his fate.
Journalist Nour Qandil also lost her life in a targeted strike on her home in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza. Her husband, Khaled Abu Seif, and their young daughter were also killed in the attack. Qandil was among the many Palestinian women journalists working in difficult conditions to document the war’s toll on civilian life.
The deaths of these journalists underscore a broader trend of targeting residential areas, resulting in heavy civilian casualties, including members of the press. Media organizations and press freedom advocates have raised alarm over the high death toll among journalists in Gaza, calling for greater international action to ensure the safety of media professionals.
As journalists remain on the frontlines, trying to document the realities of war, their growing death toll poses a severe blow to the flow of information and transparency in conflict reporting. The international community has been urged to uphold protections for journalists under international humanitarian law and hold accountable those responsible for deliberate or indiscriminate attacks.
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