Two Journalists and a Police Officer Killed in Haiti Hospital Reopening Gang Ambush
December 24, 2024
Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near hospital, authorities say
December 26, 2024
December 26, 2024 – Palestine/israel –
Five Palestinian journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck a marked press vehicle near Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. The victims — Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan, and Ayman al-Jadi — were affiliated with Al-Quds Today. According to eyewitnesses and medical officials, the journalists were resting in their press van, which had the word “PRESS” visibly displayed, when it was directly hit.
Eyewitnesses reported that the vehicle was stationary and posed no threat, as the journalists had been covering humanitarian issues related to the war. One of them, Ayman al-Jadi, had stopped to visit his wife, who was in labor inside the hospital. The scene that followed was harrowing: civil defense teams pulled the journalists’ bodies from the wreckage, covering them in bloodied blue press jackets in a symbolic act of mourning and defiance.
The Israeli military claimed that the journalists were militants from Islamic Jihad using press cover, stating that intelligence had identified them as operatives. However, this assertion has been widely rejected by Palestinian officials, fellow journalists, and international press freedom advocates, who insist that the victims were legitimate reporters engaged in their professional duties.
The incident has sparked international condemnation. Organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have demanded an independent investigation, citing concerns over Israel’s continued targeting of media workers in Gaza. This attack is part of a broader pattern: over 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the conflict in October 2023, making Gaza one of the most dangerous places in the world for media professionals.
This deadly strike not only extinguished five lives but also further threatened the presence of independent journalism in Gaza. With each journalist killed, the world loses a witness — and with them, the ability to document truth amid war. Calls for accountability continue to mount as press freedom comes under siege in one of the world’s most volatile conflict zones.
Reference –
