A damaged vehicle is seen after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua)
GAZA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources.
"At least five Palestinian journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle of the Al-Quds Today satellite channel stationed in front of Al-Awda Hospital in the al-Nuseirat camp," Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua.
Ibrahim Eid, a local eyewitness who happened to be at the hospital when the attack occurred, said he was surprised to hear a missile fired from an Israeli plane, followed by the sound of a massive explosion in front of the hospital, where those present rushed to find that the broadcast vehicle had been targeted.
"We tried to put out the fire and retrieve the five victims, but some of them were mutilated," he added.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office condemned the Israeli attack, accusing Israel of deliberately attacking the journalists to hide its "crimes."
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that acting on intelligence, the Air Force conducted a "precise strike" on an Islamic Jihad "terrorist cell" inside a vehicle in the area of al-Nuseirat.
A number of Islamic Jihad militants were killed in the strike, and intelligence from multiple sources confirmed that these militants posed as journalists, it added.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a rampage led by Hamas through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 45,399, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday. ■
A damaged vehicle is seen after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua)
A damaged vehicle is seen after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua)
A Palestinian mourns the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians mourn the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians mourn the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians mourn the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians mourn the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians mourn the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 26, 2024. The Israeli army killed five Palestinian journalists on Thursday after attacking their vehicle in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
