The head of a hospital in northern Gaza has reported that five staff members, including a doctor, lost their lives due to an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli military did not provide an immediate comment following a statement from Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya of Kamal Adwan hospital, who said, “an Israeli strike resulted in five martyrs among the hospital staff.”
Earlier statements from Gaza authorities indicated that an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian journalists in a vehicle outside a hospital, with medics reporting at least 31 fatalities in various Israeli air assaults throughout the Palestinian region.
The Palestinian Journalists Union reported that one strike resulted in the deaths of five journalists from Al-Quds Today channel, who were in a broadcast vehicle outside Al-Awda Hospital in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The Gaza-based channel labeled the strike a massacre and declared in a Telegram post that the five individuals “were killed while fulfilling their media and humanitarian responsibilities.”
The Israeli military claimed it “conducted a precise strike on a vehicle housing an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell in the Nuseirat region.”
Smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces targeted the live broadcasting vehicle.
Later, the Israeli military released a statement identifying the five TV crew members, asserting: “Intelligence from multiple sources confirmed that these individuals were Islamic Jihad operatives masquerading as journalists.”
The Islamic Jihad group, a partner of Hamas, has engaged in multiple conflicts with Israel over the past two decades, and its fighters have actively participated in the current hostilities against Israel since October 2023.
The group also stated that it is holding hostages.
While Islamic Jihad condemned the killings of the five journalists, it did not acknowledge any of them as members.
Meanwhile, Hamas and Israel continue to blame each other for the stalled ceasefire negotiations following over 14 months of conflict.
Health officials reported that five medical personnel, including a pediatrician, were killed by Israeli fire at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, located at Gaza’s northern border, where Israeli operations have been ongoing since October.
No Israeli comments were made regarding the deaths of the medical staff.
Officials mentioned that they had resisted military orders to evacuate the hospital since the inception of the new ground offensive nearly three months ago.
Men inspect the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a broadcast vehicle in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The Israeli military had previously stated that the hospital was situated in the midst of active conflict and had reinstated evacuation orders three days ago, according to Gaza medics.
The ongoing Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in over 45,300 Palestinian deaths, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
Most of the population, totaling 2.3 million, has been displaced, leaving large areas of Gaza in ruins.
This conflict escalated after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of 1,200 individuals and left 251 hostages taken to Gaza, based on Israeli estimates.
Footage from the attack site captured the mangled remains of a white van, which appeared to have remnants of the word “PRESS” painted in red on the back doors.
Funerals were held for the five journalists killed in the Israeli strike.
Numerous family members and fellow journalists attended the funerals of the five, with their bodies wrapped in white shrouds.
Blue flak jackets emblazoned with the word “PRESS” were draped over the shrouded forms.
“The Israeli army justifies or excuses this targeting by claiming it is aimed at individuals involved in Palestinian organizations and cells. However, on the ground, these individuals were on journalistic assignments, residing in press vehicles and covering events,” remarked Abed Meqdad, a correspondent for Al-Araby TV channel, during the funerals.
Women wept beside the bodies as men held special prayers prior to burial.
Members of the press gather in unison following an Israeli missile strike on a media broadcast truck in Nuseirat, Gaza.
“May God take revenge on them, may God take revenge on them. He’s the one who creates the news and broadcasts the crimes to the world; this is what they do to them,” lamented the mother of Fadi Hassouna, one of the slain journalists.
According to a year-end report by Reporters Without Borders, Gaza has been identified as the most perilous region for journalists globally, primarily due to fatalities inflicted by the Israeli military.
In the enclave, medics reported that 13 additional individuals were killed and 25 injured in an Israeli airstrike on a residential home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.
The death toll may continue to rise as many people remain trapped under the debris, they warned.
In Gaza City, an Israeli strike on a house in the Sabra suburb resulted in eight more casualties, according to medics, raising the total death count to 31.
On the previous day, Hamas and Israel exchanged accusations regarding their inability to finalize a ceasefire agreement, despite reports of progress from both sides in recent days.
Hamas contended that Israel had imposed additional conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged the group with reneging on prior agreements.
“The occupation has established new conditions regarding withdrawal, ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of the displaced, which has hindered reaching the available agreement,” stated Hamas.
In response, Mr. Netanyahu stated: “The Hamas terrorist organization continues to lie, is reneging on understandings that have already been achieved, and is continuing to create challenges in the negotiations.”
Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
Three infants die due to ‘severe temperature drop’ – hospital reports.
In the meantime, the chief pediatrician at a hospital in southern Gaza informed AFP that three infants succumbed to “severe temperature drop” this week as the Palestinian territory confronts winter conditions.
In a recent case, Dr. Ahmed al-Farra of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis revealed that a three-week-old girl “was brought to the emergency room with a severe temperature drop, which led to her death.”
Dr. Farra, who heads the pediatric services at the hospital, reported two other cases dealt with by his team on Tuesday.
“A three-day-old infant and another baby, under a month old, both perished due to a severe temperature drop,” he stated.
“This is a result of them living in tents,” he explained, referring to Palestinians displaced by the prolonged conflict in Gaza, who have sought refuge in makeshift camps, many located in the coastal region of Khan Yunis.
“The tents do not provide adequate protection from the cold, and temperatures drop significantly at night, leaving no means to keep warm,” added Dr. Farra.
The risk to newborns is especially critical, he noted, as many mothers are affected by malnutrition, impacting the quality of their milk.
The deceased three-week-old infant, Sila al-Faseeh, resided in the Al-Mawasi tent city, located along the Mediterranean coast near Khan Yunis.
Her father, Mahmoud al-Faseeh, recounted to AFP that in her final hours, “the little girl stirred two or three times during the night to breastfeed.”
In the morning, her parents noticed “she had bitten her tongue and was bleeding,” said the father.
“We took her to the doctor, who informed us it was due to the cold, and there have been a number of cases with similar symptoms.”
Mr. Faseeh expressed, “It is extremely cold, and the tent is not suitable for living. The children are constantly falling ill.”
According to Israel’s meteorological service, nighttime temperatures in Gaza recently plummeted to as low as 8°C.
