A Palestinian TV channel says five of its journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Air Force said it had attacked “in a targeted manner and with intelligence guidance” a vehicle with members of armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) inside.
In a separate development, five people were reported killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday.
The Israeli military launched air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to last year’s Hamas attack.
About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and another 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages.
Five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian television network.
In the central Nuseirat refugee camp, they were in a Quds Today van parked outside al-Awda hospital, where one of the journalists’ wives was set to give birth.
A video of the allegedly burning car with “press” signs on the rear doors was uploaded by the channel.
The armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members were inside a car that the Israeli Air Force claimed it had attacked “in a targeted manner and with intelligence guidance.”. It also stated that steps had been taken to reduce the number of civilian casualties.
Both sides’ claims have not been substantiated by the BBC.
The PIJ group that participated in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, is connected to Quds Today. The war in Gaza was started by the unprecedented attack.
Separately, Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday were reported to have killed five people.
In the city’s al-Zeitoun neighborhood, another 20 people were hurt, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry and the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Israel’s military has not responded to reports of the bombing.
Israel and Hamas also accused one another on Wednesday of causing delays in the most recent ceasefire attempt.
According to Hamas, the Israeli government was putting “new conditions” on the deal, which was causing it to be delayed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, meanwhile, claimed that the group was breaking agreements made regarding a potential ceasefire.
There has been a noticeable shift in tone on both sides with these recent statements.
Israeli officials returned from mediating Qatar on Tuesday, according to Netanyahu’s office, following “significant negotiations.” Earlier, Palestinian negotiators told the BBC that the talks were 90% finished, with a few exceptions.
The Israeli military responded to last year’s Hamas attack in the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and a ground offensive. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack, and another 251 were captured and returned to Gaza.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians. 90 percent of the population, or nearly two million people, have been displaced, the UN reports.
Jaroslav Lukiv did more reporting.
