AT least nine people, including three journalists, have been killed and several others wounded in an Israeli drone attack on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian media.
The attack on Saturday reportedly targeted a relief team that was accompanied by journalists and photographers. At least three local journalists are among the dead.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center said in a statement that “the journalists were documenting humanitarian relief efforts for those affected by Israel’s genocidal war” and called on Gaza ceasefire mediators to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with implementing the agreed truce and prisoner exchange.
Israel has rejected opening talks on the second phase of the ceasefire between it and Hamas, which would require it to negotiate over a permanent end to the war, a key Hamas demand.
Reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said that since the implementation of the first phase in January, different humanitarian organisations and charities have started to ramp up their efforts to provide humanitarian support for Palestinians, specifically during the holy month of Ramadan.
“The attack [on Beit Lahiya] has triggered a huge swathe of condemnation, but it has not been the first one. Here in the southern part of Gaza, we have seen Israeli drones hovering above while in Rafah city we have got confirmation from eyewitnesses that they have been exposed to Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours,” Abu Azzoum said.
Hamas called the attack on Beit Lahiya a “horrific massacre” and “a continuation” of Israeli “war crimes against our people and a dangerous escalation that reflects its insistence on continuing its aggression and disregard for all international laws and conventions”.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it struck “two terrorists … operating a drone that posed a threat” to Israeli soldiers in the Beit Lahiya area.
“Later, a number of additional terrorists collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle. The [Israeli military] struck the terrorists,” it added without providing any evidence about its claims.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said at least 48,543 Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 111,981 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office has updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of Palestinian people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
