Two Journalists Killed in Gaza as Strikes Intensify and Ceasefire Talks Resume
January 3, 2025
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January 03, 2025 – Palestine/Israel –
Israel’s intensified air strikes in Gaza tragically claimed the lives of at least two Palestinian journalists, marking a distressing escalation in line with ongoing hostilities and fragile ceasefire negotiations.
On January 3, award-winning photojournalist Omar Al‑Derawi was killed when his family home in Az‑Zawayda, central Gaza, was struck by an Israeli airstrike. He was the second journalist killed within 24 hours, following a separate attack the previous evening. Colleagues covered his funeral in the hospital, placing his press vest atop his shrouded body—a stark symbol of the peril journalists face while marked and working to document the realities on the ground.
One of his colleagues, identified by Gaza’s Government Media Office as Hassan al‑Qishaoui, also died in the strikes over that same period. These killings contributed to the Media Office’s estimate of 202 journalists killed since the war began on October 7, 2023.
These attacks occurred as ceasefire talks resumed in Qatar, with both Israel and Hamas under intense international pressure to halt the conflict. Yet despite negotiations meant to halt violence, Israeli airstrikes persisted. On January 3, over 42 Palestinians, including civilians and patients in hospitals, were killed during continued bombardments.
Press freedom groups condemn these strikes as deadly assaults on journalism. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that Gaza has become the most dangerous place for reporters since 1992, citing at least 178 journalists killed as of mid‑2025. The incident involving Omar Al‑Derawi—professionally accredited, clearly marked, and not in a combat role—is a stark indication of the dire risks journalists face, raising urgent questions over potential war-crimes accountability.
These events underscore a troubling reality: even as ceasefire discussions advance diplomatically, journalists remain exposed, and civilians continue to pay the price of conflict escalation. Al‑Derawi’s death reminds the international community that protection for media personnel is critical, and that symbolic vestments no longer guarantee safety amidst indiscriminate violence.
Reference –
Second Palestinian journalist killed in Israeli strikes overnight | Middle East Eye
