The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) assert the target was a cell of Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Five Palestinian journalists, employees of Al-Quds Today, a Palestinian television channel, died in an Israeli airstrike near a Gaza hospital Wednesday night, the network reported on X. The journalists were reportedly covering events near Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp when their van was struck by an Israeli missile.
Witnesses cited by Al Jazeera stated the journalists were asleep in their clearly marked van—bearing prominent “press” and “TV” markings—in front of the hospital when the attack occurred, while the wife of one of the deceased, Ayman al-Jadi, was giving birth inside. Online images show the vehicle engulfed in flames after the strike.
Al-Quds Today denounced the attack, stating its employees were killed “while performing their journalistic and humanitarian duty.”
Civil defense teams managed to retrieve the victims and extinguish a fire that broke out after the Israeli warplanes bombed a press vehicle belonging to Al-Quds Today channel in front of Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, killing five journalists.
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen)
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, but maintained it targeted a vehicle carrying terrorists, describing the operation as “precise” based on aerial surveillance and “additional intelligence.” A Telegram post stated: “Overnight, under the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on a vehicle with an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell inside in the area of Nuseirat.” The IDF provided no supporting evidence.
A recent International Federation of Journalists survey indicated at least 55 journalists have been killed in Gaza this year, over half the global total of 104. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 141 journalists have died in the region since October 2023.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and over 250 abductions, with around 100 hostages still believed to be held. Israel initiated its Gaza operation to eliminate Hamas, stating it will continue until all hostages are recovered and threats to Israel are neutralized.
UN figures estimate over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the war began. The UN has repeatedly highlighted the dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by falling temperatures. Al Jazeera reported at least three infants have died from hypothermia in a southern Gaza displacement camp in recent days.