Three journalists killed in airstrikes in Gaza
Mahmoud al-Kumi and Hussam Salama, cameramen for the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV, were covering events in the Al-Shifaa neighborhood of central Gaza when a missile hit their vehicle at around 6pm, according to a statement by Al-Aqsa TV. The statement said the journalists' car was marked "TV" with neon-colored letters. The journalists suffered severe burns and died in a nearby hospital, the statement said. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Gaza health ministry, confirmed the journalists' deaths to Agence France-Presse.
"We're alarmed by the mounting toll on journalists in Gaza," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour. "Israeli airstrikes continue to put journalists in harm's way. This reflects the risks journalists face while reporting on conflict, especially in such a densely populated area."
Third journalist killed
A third journalist was killed when his car was hit by a missile this evening, the Associated Press reported citing a Gaza official. Initial local news reports identified the journalist as Mohamed Abu Aisha, director of the private Al-Quds Educational Radio. The reports said his vehicle was hit while he was driving in the Deir al-Balah neighborhood, but did not say whether Abu Aisha was reporting at the time. CPJ continues to investigate the circumstances of his death.
On Sunday and Monday, three Israeli airstrikes targeted two buildings that housed several international and local media outlets, according to news reports. Over a hundred Palestinians have been killed in strikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip for the seventh day this week. At least three Israeli civilians and a soldier have been killed by missiles fired by Hamas into Israel in the past week.
CPJ documented a wave of attacks against the media by Israel in a near-month-long barrage of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip between December 2008 and January 2009.
For more information and data about Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, visit CPJ's Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories page.
