CAIRO: At least 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza early on Dec 26, with medics and Gaza authorities reporting heavy casualties in multiple attacks. Among the dead were five journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel, killed in a strike on their broadcast vehicle near Al-Awda Hospital in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp.
Video footage showed the charred remains of the van, marked with the word “PRESS,” which the Palestinian Journalists Union described as part of a targeted massacre. The union claims over 190 journalists have died since the conflict began in October 2023.
The Israeli military stated the strike targeted a vehicle carrying an Islamic Jihad cell, emphasizing its focus on militants and denying deliberate attacks on journalists.
Elsewhere in Gaza, eight people were killed in Zeitoun, and another eight died in Sabra during strikes on residential areas. Medics warned the death toll might rise as bodies remained trapped under rubble.
Meanwhile, ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. Hamas accused Israel of imposing new conditions related to territorial withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and the return of displaced residents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered by accusing Hamas of reneging on prior agreements.
The conflict, which began with Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, has resulted in over 45,300 Palestinian deaths and significant displacement, with Gaza’s infrastructure devastated.