The Qatar Press Center condemns in the strongest terms the killing of four Palestinians, including journalist Helmi Al-Faqawi, and the wounding of nine other journalists in their sleep early this morning, when Israeli occupation aircraft targeted a journalists' tent near the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, another airstrike targeted a journalists' tent in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. The Center affirms that the Israeli occupation's deliberate bombing of journalists' tents, locations, and homes constitutes a war crime aimed at silencing free media and preventing journalists and media professionals from conveying the truth to the world, in flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law.
The Center reiterates its call to the international community, UN, human rights, and media organizations to condemn the targeting of journalists in Gaza and to take urgent action to hold the Israeli occupation accountable before international courts for war crimes against journalists and media professionals. Impunity has encouraged the Israeli occupation forces to continue their assassination, arrest, and terrorization of journalists, all under the world's watch. The Center calls on the international community to pressure Israel to release journalists detained in Israeli prisons, who are suffering from dire conditions that deprive them of the most basic rights of prisoners, as stipulated in international laws and conventions. The Palestinian Civil Defense announced the martyrdom of journalist Hilmi Al-Faqawi and young man Yousef Al-Khazindar, and the injury of several others, including one in critical condition. The fire engulfed the tent site, and the young men present in the vicinity were unable to rescue one of the injured from the flames.
The list of injured journalists included Ahmed Mansour Hassan Aslih, Ihab Al-Bardini, Ahmed Al-Agha, Mohammed Fayek, Abdullah Al-Attar, and Al Jazeera cameraman Mahmoud Awad. Their injuries ranged from serious to moderate. A video clip showing the tent on fire following the bombing has gone viral, documenting journalist Ahmed Mansour catching fire inside the tent. Journalist Mansour appears in the video, which was filmed by a cameraman there, with his body charred and fires raging around him following the bombing.
Citizens tried to extinguish the raging fires with whatever tools they had, amidst a state of astonishment at the nature and intensity of the shelling. The targeting of journalists in Khan Yunis comes less than 48 hours after journalist Islam Nasr al-Din Muqdad and her child were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house west of the city. Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the occupation army has deliberately targeted journalists, killing 214 journalists, both male and female, and wounding hundreds more, according to official sources.
