5 journalists killed in Israeli airstrike near Gaza hospital

The journalists were covering events at the hospital when the vehicle, marked with the word “PRESS” in large red letters, was hit.

The victims have been identified as Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.

The Gaza-based Government Media Office condemned the killing and urged the international community and rights groups to condemn Israeli crimes and prosecute them before international courts.

It added that the new victims have brought the tally of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October last year to 201.

Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif reported that al-Jadi was waiting for his wife, who was in labor with their first child, outside the hospital at the time of the attack.

Footage from the scene showed the van engulfed in flames as civil defense teams worked to recover the bodies and extinguish the fire.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it targeted a vehicle carrying members of Islamic Jihad.

“Prior to the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weapons, aerial observations and additional intelligence information,” the military said in a post on X.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the killings, calling for accountability.

Israel has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 45,400 people, most of them women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.