Five Journalists Killed As Israeli Warplane Strikes Media Vehicle in Gaza

Five journalists lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their vehicle in Gaza overnight, according to Al-Quds Today Television and Al-Awda Hospital.

The vehicle, marked with "TV" and "PRESS," was parked outside Al-Awda Hospital when it was hit.

The journalists—Ayman Al-Jadi, Faisal Abu Al-Qumsan, Mohammed Al-Lada’a, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali, and Fadi Hassouna—were sleeping in the vehicle at the time of the strike, colleagues reported. Footage of the incident showed the vehicle engulfed in flames.

Al-Quds Today Television, linked to the Palestine Islamic Jihad group, condemned the attack, stating that the journalists were killed “while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty.”

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, alleging it targeted an “Islamic Jihad terrorist cell” in the Nuseirat area but did not present evidence to substantiate the claim.

Rising Death Toll Among Journalists in Conflict

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that 141 media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since October 7th of last year. Among them, 133 were Palestinians in Gaza, who face severe risks while covering the ongoing conflict.

Earlier this month, an Al Jazeera photojournalist, Ahmad Al-Louh, was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a Civil Defense office in Gaza. Al-Louh had been covering a rescue operation at the time. The Israeli military labeled him a "terrorist," citing his alleged ties to Islamic Jihad, though no evidence was provided.

The CPJ describes the current period as the deadliest for journalists since it began tracking data in 1992.