ARTICLE 19 strongly condemns Israel’s recent airstrike on a journalists’ tent near Nasser Hospital in the Palestinian refugee camp in Khan Younis, which resulted in the death of two journalists and at least seven others being injured. We call on the international community to take immediate action to stop the targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
On 7 April 2025, an Israeli airstrike targeted a journalists’ tent outside Nasser Hospital in the Khan Younis refugee camp, west of the city. Helmi Al-Faqaawi, head of the social media department at Palestine Today news agency, was killed on the day of the attack, and cameraman Ahmad Mansour died on 8 April after sustaining severe burns. Seven other journalists were injured, including Mahmoud Awad (Al Jazeera cameraman), Hassan Islayeh (freelance journalist), Abdullah Al-Attar (Anadolu Agency cameraman), Majed Qudeih (Algerian Radio correspondent), Ihab Al-Burdini (ABC News cameraman), Ahmed Al-Agha (BBC Arabic contributor), Mohammad Fayek (freelance photographer), and Ali Islayeh (photographer for Alam 24). The Israel Defense Forces stated that the strike targeted journalist Hassan Islayeh, alleging he was affiliated with Hamas and involved in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
The incident is part of an ongoing pattern, with Israel continuing to accuse journalists of having links to militant groups without providing credible evidence. On 24 March, 2025, 23-year-old Hossam Shabat, an Al Jazeera Live journalist, was killed in northern Gaza when Israeli forces targeted his vehicle. Israeli military and security services claimed they had neutralised a sniper who Al Jazeera had also employed as a journalist. These targeted attacks onmedia workers since the war began in October 2023 have inflicted a heavy death toll on the journalism community: The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs report that Israel’s war on Palestine is the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded. We urge the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prioritise investigations into the deliberate targeting and killing of journalists in Palestine. We also call on the international community to act swiftly to protect press freedom in Gaza, especially as the war is setting a dangerous precedent for undermining the status of journalists under international human rights law.
ARTICLE 19 is also deeply appalled by the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement on 18 March. On 7 April, UN agencies warned of severe aid shortages and widespread hunger since Israel resumed its full-scale assault on Gaza. We echo their concerns about the ‘utter disregard for human life’ in Gaza. ARTICLE 19 joins their call for the urgent renewal of the ceasefire and urges the international community to do everything in its power to ensure this happens.