100 journalists killed since start of war: Gaza media office

Palestinian journalist Muhammed Abu Hweidy was the latest to be killed in an Israeli air raid on his home in the east of Gaza City on Saturday, the media office reported.

“The number of journalists killed has risen to 100, men and women, since the start of the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, after the martyrdom of journalist Mohammed Abu Hweidy in an Israeli airstrike in the Shujaiya neighborhood,” the office said on Telegram social media.

Palestinian officials in Gaza say the number could be much higher.

However, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 69 journalists have been killed in the conflict.

More than 50 media premises or offices in Gaza have been completely or partially destroyed by Israeli attacks. Hundreds of Palestinian journalists and their families have been forcibly displaced to the south.

The media workers were also forced to abandon their reporting equipment in offices in the north to live and report under difficult condition amid frequent communication blackouts.

Journalists working in areas of armed conflict are protected under international humanitarian laws, which Israel is accused of violating repeatedly.

Palestinian journalists have said Israel is deliberately targeting them to silence their stories.