Soldiers of Israel's 33rd Caracal Battalion take part in a graduation march in the northern part of the southern Israeli Negev desert on March 13. The Caracal was formed in 2004 with the chief purpose of giving women a chance to serve in a true combat role.
A Palestinian television channel has reported that five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip. The journalists were in a Quds Today vehicle parked outside al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the wife of one of the journalists was about to give birth.
Quds Today shared a video showing the burning vehicle, which had “press” signs on its back doors. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it targeted “Islamic Jihad operatives posing as journalists” and took measures to avoid civilian casualties.
Quds Today is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an armed group involved in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing conflict. The channel is believed to receive funding from the PIJ.
Separately, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital on Gaza’s northern edge reported that around 50 people, including five hospital staff, were killed in an Israeli strike on a nearby building. Among the casualties were a paediatrician and two paramedics.
The IDF stated it was “unaware of strikes” in the hospital area and is investigating claims that five doctors were killed, noting that reported casualty figures did not match their data.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed devastation over reports of the journalists’ deaths, emphasizing that journalists are civilians who must be protected. The Israeli military identified the five 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, asserting they were PIJ operatives based on intelligence from multiple sources.
Quds Today responded, stating the men were fulfilling their media and humanitarian duties when they were killed. Since the beginning of the conflict, at least 133 Palestinian journalists have been killed, according to CPJ, making it the deadliest conflict for journalists. CPJ has called for accountability for the targeted killings of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli military.
Additionally, at least five more individuals were reported killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday, with the Palestinian Wafa news agency and the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reporting 20 more injured in the city’s al-Zeitoun neighbourhood. The Israeli military has not commented on this incident.
Efforts towards a ceasefire have faltered, with Hamas and Israel blaming each other for the delay. Hamas accused the Israeli government of imposing new conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Hamas was reneging on previously reached understandings.
The conflict escalated following a Hamas attack last year, which killed approximately 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken back to Gaza. Gaza’s health ministry reports over 45,000 Palestinian deaths in Israel’s offensive, with the UN noting that nearly two million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced.
Frances Ibiefo
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