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London: Ahmed Mansour, a Palestinian journalist has died from burns caused by an Israeli airstrike on a media tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Footage shared on social media captured the moment when Mansour, a reporter for Palestine Today, was engulfed in flames following the strike. Bystanders quickly attempted to put out the fire with makeshift tools.
Mansour's death raises the toll of journalists killed in the attack to two, with at least eight others injured.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike on Monday, stating it targeted journalist Hassan Elslayeh, whom they accuse of being a Hamas operative involved in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel. Elslayeh was injured in the strike.
The pro-Israeli watchdog HonestReporting in 2023 published a photo showing Elslayeh being kissed by the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, leading CNN, Reuters, and the Associated Press to sever ties with him.
Yousef Al-Faqawi, another reporter for Palestine Today was also killed in Monday's airstrike. With their deaths, the total number of media workers killed since the war began in October 2023 rises to over 170. Local authorities report that at least 211 Palestinian journalists have lost their lives, Arab News reported.
Rights organizations have condemned the strike, with the Committee to Protect Journalists accusing Israel of consistently targeting media workers and violating international law.
Sara Qudah, the director for CPJ's Middle East and North Africa, stated that this is not the first instance of Israel targeting a tent sheltering journalists in Gaza. She emphasized that the international community's failure to take action has allowed such attacks on the press to continue without consequences, weakening efforts to hold those responsible accountable.
CPJ has called on authorities to facilitate the immediate medical evacuation of those injured, many suffering from severe burns, and urged an end to the ongoing attacks on Gaza's already devastated media community.
On March 18, the Israeli army broke a short ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement by resuming its onslaught in Gaza, killing about 1,400 people and wounding over 3,400 more.