The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed at dawn two journalists, including a female journalist, with their families in directed attacks on their houses while they were asleep in Deir al-Balah and Jabalia.  Another journalist was killed in an Israeli drone strike later in the morning in al-Qararah, northern Khan Younis.  Both incidents come as part of a broader and unprecedented escalation of killings against journalists and their families during the ongoing crime of genocide Israel is committing against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for 19 months. By this, Israel intends to kill the witnesses to the genocidal acts perpetuated at the world’s full view.  The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) asserts that the ongoing targeting and killing of journalists, along with their families, and the rising death toll among them leave no doubt that these acts are deliberate, intended to intimidate and silence journalists. Such targeted attacks are part of the crime of genocide Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip.

In continuation of their crimes, at dawn Sunday, 18 May 2025, IOF conducted two airstrikes on two journalists’ houses in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza strip and in al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza.  As a result, the two journalists were killed, including a female journalist, alongside their families. In the first strike, IOF targeted journalist Nour Qandil’s residential apartment in Bisharah neighborhood in Deir al-Balah, killing Nour, her husband Khaled Abu Seif and their little daughter.  The second strike targeted ‘Aziz al-Hajjar’s house in al-Saftawi neighborhood, western Jabalia.  ‘Aziz, who was a journalist in Palestine Today, his wife and 2 little daughters were killed.  Earlier this morning, journalist ‘Abdel Rahman Tawfiq al-‘Abadlah (31) was pronounced dead after an Israeli drone targeted him alongside other journalists in al-Qararah, northern Khan Younis.  As a result, he was killed with his relative, Yazan Jawdat al-‘Abadlah.

It should be noted that IOF have unprecedentedly escalated their targeting of journalists in recent weeks as part of their acts of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.  The most recent of these crimes was the killing of journalist Hasan Sammour and his family in an airstrike on their tent. This came shortly after journalist Hasan Islayeh had been targeted inside Naser Medical Complex, killing him on his hospital bed while receiving treatment for a previous injury.

With the killing of these three journalists, the number of journalists killed by IOF since 07 October 2023 has risen to 219, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. This war has taken a record toll since the recording of journalist fatalities started in 1992. Among those killed were 14 female journalists. Meanwhile, the majority of journalists were killed in Israeli warplane and drone airstrikes, and the remaining were shot dead by Israeli snipers. Most journalists were killed alongside their families in targeted attacks on their homes, while others were killed in indiscriminate bombings throughout the ongoing genocide. Some journalists were directly targeted and killed while others were killed on duty. Additionally, 194 journalists have been injured under various circumstances during the aggression. Moreover, a large number of social media activists have been targeted by the IOF, who systematically incite against them and threaten to kill them if they do not remain silent.

PCHR asserts that the targeting of journalists intends to isolate the victim and prevent the documentation of Israel’s genocidal acts against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Thus, PCHR calls on the international community to openly condemn the targeting of journalists, to exert pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to immediately stop these attacks, and to urgently provide international protection for civilians, including journalists, in the Gaza Strip.

PCHR emphasizes that the deliberate killing of journalists is a war crime under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Article 8 of the ICC’s Rome Statute. It also constitutes arbitrary deprivation of life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. Moreover, targeting journalists constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of the press and freedom of expression, which are guaranteed under international human rights law, especially Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In light of the above, PCHR calls on the international community to pressure the occupying power to immediately stop targeting journalists and to take immediate action to provide international protection for civilians, including journalists, in the Gaza Strip. PCHR also urges the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop its crimes, comply with the rules of international law, and provide protection for civilians. PCHR calls upon the international journalists’ organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists, to act urgently to push towards holding Israel accountable for the killing and targeting of journalists in Palestine.

PCHR also calls on the ICC Prosecutor to expedite the issuance of tangible measures to accomplish the investigation into the situation of the State of Palestine, including killings of journalists who pay their lives as a cost for exposing the truth especially that the victims in Palestine have long awaited justice and accountability. PCHR also urges the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression to scale up efforts to protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression and investigate crimes committed by IOF against journalists and media outlets in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).