Occupied Jerusalem, SANA- Five Palestinian journalists were martyred Sunday, including al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, following a direct Israeli airstrike targeting a tent near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

In an official statement, the Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the attack in the strongest terms, describing it as a “deliberate and premeditated assassination” of journalists by Israeli forces. The statement emphasized that the strike was a direct attempt to silence the press and conceal evidence of ongoing war crimes and genocide in the region.

The office further asserted that the targeting of journalists and media institutions constitutes a full-fledged war crime, aimed at suppressing the truth and paving the way for further atrocities in Gaza.

With this latest attack, the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli offensive has risen to 237.

The strike occurred just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference reaffirming his government’s intent to militarily seize control of Gaza City.

Nisreen Othman / Manar Salameh