A Palestinian journalist was killed and nine others injured, some critically, when an Israeli airstrike struck a media tent near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis early Monday, according to medics and the local journalists’ union.
Video footage showed people attempting to extinguish flames inside the tent following the strike. Reuters verified the footage based on the layout and surrounding structures. Other images shared online appeared to show the tent completely destroyed, with equipment and furniture burned. One widely circulated image showed a journalist engulfed in flames being assisted by another person.
Israeli authorities did not issue an immediate comment.
Gaza’s health officials said a second person was also killed in the strike.
The deceased journalist was identified as Helmy al-Faqawi. His body, wrapped in a white shroud with his blue press flak jacket placed on top, was carried by fellow journalists and relatives during his funeral. “We will continue to deliver the message and convey the truth to the whole world. This is our humanitarian duty,” said journalist Abd Shaath, who was nearby when the strike occurred.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate stated that more than 210 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military campaign in October 2023.
Gaza health authorities said at least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the strip on Monday alone. The total Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 50,000, according to local officials.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.