Death toll of journalists in Gaza rises to 232 as Israeli attacks persist

ISTANBUL/GAZA

The number of journalists killed in Gaza has risen to 232 since Israel launched its military campaign on Oct. 7, 2023, the Government Media Office in the blockaded enclave said Thursday.

“The number of journalists killed has now reached 232 since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, following the killing of journalist Adam Abu Harbid,” it said.

Abu Harbid worked with multiple media outlets as a photojournalist, it added.

The media office strongly condemned Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza and called on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union and media organizations worldwide to denounce the attacks.

“We hold the Israeli occupation, the US administration and countries complicit in the genocide such as the UK, Germany and France fully responsible for these heinous and brutal crimes,” it said.

Abu Harbid was killed along with three relatives in an Israeli helicopter strike that hit a tent near the Al-Yarmouk market in Gaza City, medical sources told Anadolu. His wife and children were also wounded in the attack.

Israel has killed more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.