US offers condolences to Anadolu cameraman after Israeli airstrike kills family members

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House expressed its condolences to Anadolu cameraman Mohamed Alaloul on Monday after several of his family members, including four of his children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend.

"The lives of innocent Palestinians must be protected. We mourn the loss of every innocent life who has been caught up in this crisis. Our hearts go out to Mr. Alaloul and his family," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told Anadolu.

Alaloul's house was completely destroyed when an Israeli airstrike targeted the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. He was out on assignment when the attack took place.

More than 50 Palestinians were killed in the strike, including Alaloul's children and three of his siblings. His wife was admitted to an intensive care unit in serious condition.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 37 journalists and media workers have been confirmed killed in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Thirty-two are Palestinians, four are Israelis and one is Lebanese.

All of the Palestinian journalists who have been killed were based in the besieged Gaza Strip, where Israel has been carrying out a sweeping bombing campaign across the territory. Nearly all of the journalists' deaths have been attributed to airstrikes or missile strikes, according to the CPJ.