Five Palestinian Journalists Killed in Israeli Airstrike as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

An Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip has killed five journalists from the Palestinian TV channel Quds Today, according to the channel. The journalists were reportedly in a van parked outside al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where one of the journalists’ wives was about to give birth. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the targeted individuals were operatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) posing as journalists, and claimed that steps were taken to avoid civilian casualties.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the killings, emphasizing that journalists are civilians who must be protected. This incident brings the total number of Palestinian journalists killed in the ongoing conflict to at least 133, marking it as the deadliest war for journalists.

In addition to the journalists’ deaths, five staff members of the Kamal Adwan hospital, including a pediatrician and paramedics, were killed in a separate Israeli strike.

Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions continue to worsen in Gaza, where a two-week-old baby girl died from hypothermia in a tent camp, the third infant death from cold-related conditions in recent days. The family was sheltering in an area designated as a humanitarian zone but was still affected by ongoing airstrikes.

Efforts toward a ceasefire have faltered, with both Hamas and Israel accusing each other of delaying progress. Israel’s military offensive has caused the deaths of more than 45,000 Palestinians, and 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, according to the United Nations.