Five journalists from Gaza were killed in an Israeli strike
A Palestinian television station says five of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip.
They were in a van Quds Today parked outside al-Awda hospital, where the wife of one of the journalists is about to give birth, in the central Nuseirat refugee camp.
The station posted a video showing a burning car with “press” written on the back doors.
The Israeli Air Force said it struck a “targeted and intelligence-led” vehicle with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters inside. It added that measures have been taken to reduce the death rate.
The BBC could not confirm the claims made by either side.
Quds Today is affiliated with the PIJ group that participated in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. An unprecedented attack started the war in Gaza.
In another incident, it was reported that five people died in Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Wednesday.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa, and the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, also said another 20 people were injured in the suburb of al-Zeitoun.
The Israeli military did not comment on the reported bombing.
Also on Wednesday, Hamas and Israel blamed each other for delays in the latest effort to reach a ceasefire.
Hamas has accused the Israeli government of imposing “new conditions” that it says are delaying the deal.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the group is withdrawing from the understanding that has been reached regarding the non-ceasefire.
The latest statements mark a significant change in tone on both sides.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said Israeli representatives had returned to Qatar, which is acting as a mediator, after “significant discussions” – and previous Palestinian negotiators told the BBC that talks were 90% complete on several issues.
The Israeli military launched airstrikes and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas attacks last year. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and another 251 were returned to Gaza as hostages.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli attack, said the Gaza Health Ministry. About two million people – 90 percent of the population – have been displaced, according to the UN.
Additional reporting by Jaroslav Lukiv.
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