"The vehicle, marked with 'press,' was parked at a hospital when it was struck."A Palestinian TV channel reported that five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip.
The journalists were inside a Quds Today van parked outside al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the wife of one of the journalists was about to give birth.
The channel shared a video showing a burning vehicle with "press" markings on its rear doors.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strike targeted "Islamic Jihad operatives posing as journalists" and claimed that measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep concern over the reports, stating it was "devastated by the reports."
"Journalists are civilians and must always be protected," the CPJ emphasized.
The BBC has been unable to independently verify the claims made by either side, as international media are barred by Israel from entering and freely reporting from Gaza.
Quds Today, the TV channel involved, is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an armed group that participated in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The channel is believed to receive funding from PIJ.
The Israeli military identified the five individuals killed as: Ibrahim Jamal Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali, Faisal Abdallah Muhammad Abu Qamsan, Mohammed Ayad Khamis al-Ladaa, Ayman Nihad Abd Alrahman Jadi, and Fadi Ihab Muhammad Ramadan Hassouna. It claimed that "intelligence from multiple sources confirmed" they were PIJ operatives, with a list found during an operation in Gaza "explicitly identifying four of them" as such.
Quds Today, however, asserted that the men "were killed as they carried out their media and humanitarian duty."
According to the CPJ, at least 133 Palestinian journalists have been killed as of 20 December, making the Gaza conflict the deadliest for journalists. The organization has called for accountability for Palestinian journalists who were directly targeted by the Israeli military.
Separately, five people were reported killed and 20 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday, as reported by the Palestinian Wafa news agency and the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, severe humanitarian conditions persist in Gaza. A father recounted how his two-week-old daughter, Sila, froze to death in a tent in the al-Mawasi area, designated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a humanitarian zone but subjected to air strikes. Sila was one of three children to die from hypothermia in recent days, according to medical officials.
Hopes for a ceasefire have diminished, with both Hamas and Israel trading accusations. Hamas claimed Israel imposed "new conditions," while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on prior understandings.
The conflict, which began after Hamas's attack in October, has resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and 45,000 Palestinian fatalities, according to Gaza's health ministry. Nearly two million people—90% of Gaza's population—have been displaced, the UN reports.
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