A Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said. Abdullah Fahjan, a journalist for Aqsa TV, was killed in a strike on Rafah.

Another Palestinian journalist who was injured when Israel shelled his Shujaiyya home succumbed to his wounds on Thursday, the ninth journalist to be killed by Israeli forces since the assault on Gaza began three weeks ago. Muhammad Daher, who worked for al-Resalah newspaper, was injured in the shelling while a number of his family members were killed.

A Palestinian journalist targeted by Israeli Army (Photo: Ma’an)

The target of the attack was unclear, but Israel has repeatedly destroyed entire apartment buildings in order to kill wanted individuals. The Israeli assault has taken a high toll on Palestinian journalists, as seemingly haphazard shelling of residential and commercial areas have killed many, including 17 shoppers in a Shujaiyya market and 16 internally displaced people at a UN school on Wednesday.

Photojournalists Rami Rayan and Sameh al-Aryan, who worked with al-Aqsa TV, were killed Wednesday during the shelling of al-Bastat market in Shujaiyya. Journalist Ahed Zaqqut, who focused on sports media for several agencies, was also killed Wednesday. Journalists Najlaa Mahmoud al-Hajj, Abd al-Rahman Ziyad Abu Hayin, Izzat Dhuheir, Bahad al-Din Gharib, and photojournalist Khalid Hamad were also killed in earlier strikes on the Gaza Strip.

“We express our anger and condemnation at the killing of these journalists, the latest victims in this ongoing cycle of intimidation, violence and murder against media workers in Palestine,” said International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) President Jim Boumelha. “We send our heartfelt sympathies to their family and friends and we offer our continued support and solidarity to our colleagues in the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and all media workers in Gaza as they continue to suffer through this appalling Israeli barrage. Enough is enough: the killing must end now and Israeli must be held accountable for these atrocities.” The IFJ is writing to Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to remind the organisation of its international obligation to protect journalists. The IFJ and the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ) have also agreed to send a joint international mission to Gaza as soon as there is a ceasefire.

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