Funerals for Five Gaza Journalists: A Tragic Loss
Five Palestinian journalists were murdered in an Israeli strike outside a Gaza hospital overnight, according to the Health Ministry. The Israeli military claimed it targeted a group of insurgents.
The attack struck a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the region. The journalists worked for the local Quds News Network.
The military claimed it targeted a group of fighters from Islamic Jihad, a militant organization associated with Hamas, Gaza’s rulers. Associated Press film showed the burned-out shell of a van, with press marks still evident on the back doors.
Israel did not provide proof to support its assertion.
Several young guys attended the funeral outside the hospital, several of whom sobbed. The bodies were all shrouded in white shrouds with blue press vests over them.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 130 Palestinian journalists have been slain since the war began.
Human rights and press freedom advocates have accused Israel of purposefully targeting journalists in an attempt to restrict coverage of its atrocities in Gaza.
Israel has not allowed international journalists to access Gaza except on carefully restricted guided excursions.
The Health Ministry reports that Israel’s war has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians. It claims that more than half of the fatalities were women and children, but does not specify how many were fighters. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants without presenting evidence.
