The Israeli army killed at least seven more Palestinians in nighttime strikes Friday on a home and tents for the displaced across the Gaza Strip, according to media reports. Al-Aqsa radio reported that four people, including two children and a girl, were killed in a strike on a tent for the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Additionally, one person was killed and 20 others, including 15 children, were injured in a separate strike on a home in the Khan Younis refugee camp. Another strike hit a tent in western Gaza City, resulting in two fatalities and additional injuries. The attacks were part of a renewed Israeli assault on Gaza that began on March 18, 2025, following the collapse of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement from January 19, 2025.
Artillery shelling was also reported in eastern Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood on the same day. These strikes are the latest in a brutal Israeli onslaught that has claimed the lives of more than 51,000 Palestinians since October 2023, with the majority being women and children. The ongoing violence has drawn international attention, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its military actions in the enclave.
In a related incident, another Palestinian journalist, Tamer Mekdad, was killed in an Israeli attack on northern Gaza on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Local authorities reported that Mekdad was killed alongside several family members, including his young daughter, in a strike that targeted their home in the Tel al-Zaatar neighborhood. His death marks a grim milestone, bringing the total number of journalists killed in Gaza to 213 since the onset of Israel's military campaign in October 2023.
Mekdad's death follows closely the killing of Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna on April 16, 2025, who also died along with ten members of her family in a bombing of their home in the al-Touffah neighborhood. Hassouna, a multimedia graduate from the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, had been documenting the daily lives of residents in the besieged territory, which has been largely inaccessible to foreign journalists due to Israeli restrictions.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center (PJPC) condemned the attack on Mekdad as a "crime" against journalists and a violation of international law. Earlier this month, the Gaza media office had appealed to the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and other press organizations worldwide to condemn the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza.
Hamas has issued a strong denunciation of the intentional targeting of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces, characterizing it as a blatant breach of international and humanitarian law. The resistance group asserted that the murder of journalists forms part of a larger genocidal campaign conducted by Israeli forces against the Palestinian population in Gaza. They highlighted that the deaths of over 200 Palestinian journalists in Gaza—many of whom were killed alongside their families—due to Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire, demonstrate the occupying regime’s deliberate attempt to suppress the media and discourage journalists from revealing the realities of the situation in the area.
Hamas stated, "These unprecedented crimes against journalists in the history of modern conflicts require urgent action," calling on the international community, the United Nations, and its judicial bodies to intervene and hold the Israeli leadership accountable for these actions.
The situation in Gaza remains dire as the conflict escalates, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence. Humanitarian organizations have expressed alarm over the deteriorating conditions, citing a lack of access to essential services and the ongoing threat to life posed by the continuous bombardment. The international community continues to call for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations, but with tensions running high, the prospects for peace remain bleak.
As the conflict rages on, the plight of the Palestinian people continues to draw attention and concern from around the world. Calls for accountability and justice grow louder, yet the cycle of violence persists, leaving many to wonder when peace will finally be achieved in this troubled region.
