An Israeli airstrike on a media tent in Gaza early Monday killed at least two journalists and injured several others, adding to the mounting death toll among media workers in what has been described as the deadliest conflict for reporters.
The bombing, which took place near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, also caused significant injuries to six other journalists, some of whom are in critical condition.
The attack occurred at approximately 2 am, when the tent outside the hospital was set ablaze, killing journalist Helmi al-Faqawi and another man, identified as Yousef al-Khazindar, according to Palestine’s Wafa news agency.
Footage shared online by the Quds News Network captured the dramatic scene of the tent on fire, with a crowd of people attempting to extinguish the flames.
Among the injured was journalist Ihab al-Bardini, who was struck by shrapnel to the head, causing serious injury, and Ahmad Mansour, who was reported to be fighting for his life after sustaining severe burns.
This latest attack follows the death of journalist Islam Meqdad, who was killed the day before alongside her husband and child, further adding to the growing list of media casualties.
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According to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza have made it the deadliest war for media workers in history, with a staggering 232 journalists and media workers killed since the war began in October 2023.
The report further noted that the frequency of fatalities—on average, 13 media workers per week—has surpassed that of all major conflicts in the last 100 years, including both World Wars, the Vietnam War, and the U.S. War in Afghanistan.
While the exact number of journalists deliberately targeted is unclear, the Costs of War project and organizations like Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have documented several cases where journalists appear to have been specifically targeted due to their work.
Journalist Antony Lowenstein said that Israel appears to be engaging in the “deliberate targeting of journalists” and that the scale of these fatalities is unprecedented.
In a related development, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has demanded an independent international inquiry into a March 23 attack in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah that killed 15 medical and humanitarian workers.
The PRCS described the assault, where Israeli forces opened fire on a convoy of ambulances, as a “full-fledged war crime.” Among the victims were eight PRCS medics, six members of the Palestinian Civil Defence, and a UNRWA employee. The convoy was attempting to assist wounded civilians following an earlier Israeli attack when it came under sustained gunfire from Israeli forces.
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A video recovered from one of the fallen medics’ mobile phones showed their final moments, with the rescue workers wearing highly visible uniforms and traveling in clearly identifiable rescue vehicles.
According to the PRCS, the convoy was subjected to heavy gunfire for about five minutes, followed by continuous shooting for nearly two hours, during which communication with the central dispatch center was lost. One survivor recounted being used as a “human shield” by Israeli forces before managing to escape.
Despite claims by the Israeli military that its forces were responding to “suspicious vehicles” approaching them, PRCS President Younis al-Khatib refuted these statements, emphasizing that the ambulances had their emergency lights on, and the area was not classified as a “red zone” at the time.
Al-Khatib has called for international accountability, urging the UN Security Council to take decisive action to prevent further attacks on medical teams and aid workers.
The PRCS’s demand for an independent investigation into these incidents comes amid mounting global concerns over Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Since the resumption of airstrikes on Gaza on March 18, at least 921 people have been killed, pushing the total death toll in Gaza since the beginning of the war to over 50,000, most of whom are women and children.
The international community, including humanitarian organizations like the UN and various rights groups, has condemned the repeated attacks on medical personnel and journalists, calling for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to be held accountable for potential war crimes.
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Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, highlighted the devastating impact on civilians, citing reports of patients being killed in their hospital beds and first responders being targeted.
As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, calls for an independent investigation and a halt to the violence grow louder, with the lives of journalists, medical workers, and countless civilians hanging in the balance. The global community faces mounting pressure to intervene and protect the vulnerable in Gaza from further harm.
