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ISRAELI forces continued their killing spree today, killing 38 Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and three journalists in Lebanon.
The Gaza deaths, reported by health officials in the devastated coastal territory, were the latest in Khan Younis, where a humanitarian crisis is deepening, forcing Palestinians to join a long queue for bread outside the city’s only functioning bakery.
The three journalists were killed when the Israeli military attacked guest houses where they were staying in the Hasbaya region of south-east Lebanon.
They were camera operator Ghassan Najjar and broadcast technician Mohammed Rida of Beirut-based pan-Arab satellite news channel al-Mayadeen and camera operator Wissam Qassim, who worked for al-Manar TV.
The Israeli army did not issue a warning before launching the strike and has made no comment on the killings.
Representatives of the news networks and Lebanese politicians accused Israel of war crimes and intentionally targeting journalists.
“These were just journalists that were sleeping in bed after long days of covering the conflict,” said Al Jazeera English senior correspondent Imran Khan, who was among the journalists in the compound.
Al-Mayadeen director Ghassan bin Jiddo alleged that the Israeli strike on the compound housing journalists was intentional and directed at those covering elements of its military offensive.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said: “This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with premeditation and planning, as there were 18 journalists present at the location representing seven media institutions.”
Al-Manar south Lebanon correspondent Ali Shoeib said the Israeli military knew that the area that was struck housed journalists of various media organisations.
“We were reporting the news and showing the suffering of the victims and now we are the news and the victims of Israel’s crimes,” Mr Shoeib added in the video aired by al-Manar.
Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said today that 11 journalists had been killed and eight wounded since Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters began exchanging fire across the Lebanon-Israel border in early October last year.
The killing of journalists prompted an international outcry from press advocacy groups and United Nations experts.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said it had counted 128 journalists killed in Gaza since the war began.
Israel has accused journalists working for Al Jazeera of being members of resistance groups, but the network has rejected the claim as “a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists has also dismissed the accusation, noting that Israel had “repeatedly made similar unproven claims without producing credible evidence.”
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