Number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza climbs to 195

By Mohamed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 has soared to 195, a local organization said on Saturday.

"The number of journalist martyrs has risen to 195 following the martyrdom of journalist Mohammad Baalousha, a correspondent for Al-Mashhad Channel (a private Lebanese network based in Dubai), as a result of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza,” the Palestinian Journalists’ Forum said in a statement.

The NGO condemned "the international silence and failure to protect Palestinian journalists and ensure their ability to perform their professional duties in accordance with international laws and humanitarian conventions."

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 44,800 victims, mostly women and children, since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, 2023.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and the blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala