DaysofPal– Two Palestinian journalists were killed in separate Israeli attacks on Monday, pushing the death toll of media workers in Gaza to 208 since October 2023.
Mohammad Mansour, a correspondent for Palestine Today, lost his life in an airstrike north of Khan Younis, while Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist Hussam Shabat was killed when an Israeli strike targeted his car on Salah al-Din Street in northern Gaza.
The Government Media Office in Gaza strongly condemned what it described as the deliberate targeting and assassination of Palestinian journalists, calling it an attack on press freedom.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had previously warned that the ongoing war has marked the deadliest period for journalists since the organization began tracking fatalities more than three decades ago.
Siege on Rafah
The killings come as Israeli forces escalate their ground operations in Gaza, with a renewed assault focusing on the southern city of Rafah.
Troops have encircled the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, effectively trapping 50,000 Palestinians with scarce access to food, water, or medical aid. Reports indicate that the wounded are being left to bleed to death due to the lack of emergency response.
On Sunday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the neighborhood, though many residents had nowhere to flee.
The Rafah municipality described the situation as “genocide,” stating that relentless airstrikes and bombardments had left thousands of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, stranded with no escape route.
Further complicating the crisis, communications in the besieged area have been completely cut off, leaving the fate of many residents unknown.
Attacks on Medical Teams
Medical personnel attempting to reach the wounded have also come under fire. On Sunday morning, Israeli forces surrounded a convoy of Red Crescent ambulances en route to Tel al-Sultan.
According to the organization, soldiers detained and severely beat one crew member before releasing him, while the fate of the remaining emergency workers remains unknown more than a day later.
As the siege tightens and the humanitarian situation worsens, calls for an immediate ceasefire and international intervention continue to grow.
However, with no end in sight, Palestinians in Gaza remain under relentless bombardment, facing mounting casualties and an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.
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