The Hamas Islamic Movement has condemned the killing of journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari and five of her children, including an unborn baby, on Wednesday as a new crime committed by the Israeli occupation army, describing it as part of a systematic policy to target journalists in Gaza, intimidate them, and deter them from fulfilling their professional duty.
“The assassination of journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari along with her entire family in an airstrike is a new crime against Palestinian journalists, committed by an occupation army stripped of all human values. This is part of a systematic targeting policy aimed at silencing and terrorizing journalists in Gaza,” the statement said.
Hamas called on international press institutions to fulfill their professional and moral responsibilities by exposing the widespread violations Palestinian journalists are subjected to.
The Movement pointed out that more than 230 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of what it called this brutal genocide, urging immediate intervention to protect journalists and initiate legal action against the Israeli officials in international courts, holding them accountable for crimes against journalists protected under international humanitarian law.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the Israeli army killed journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari, her husband, her children, and her unborn baby in an airstrike targeting southern Gaza City. Medical sources reported that eight martyrs, including Al-Jaabari and her family, arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital in pieces, following the bombing of the Al-Shaer family home.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office announced that the number of journalists killed in the enclave has risen to 231, following the killing of Tamer Al-Za’anin, Walaa Al-Jaabari, and her five children by Israeli fire.
The Israeli occupation forces, with unwavering US support, are waging a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. According to the Ministry of Health, this assault has so far resulted in over 59,219 martyrs, 143,045 wounded, more than 11,000 missing, and a famine that has claimed dozens of lives. Over 2 million Palestinians are currently living in conditions of forced displacement amid widespread destruction.