3rd journalist dies in Israeli strike on media camp near Gaza hospital

Jerusalem, Apr 8 (EFE).– Palestinian journalist Ahmed Mansour succumbed to severe burns on Tuesday, becoming the third scribe killed in an Israeli drone strike a day ago on a tent sheltering media workers in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

“The number of journalists killed has risen to 211, including other communicators such as influencers, following the martyrdom of journalist Ahmed Mansour,” the Hamas government media office in Gaza said in a statement.

Mansour became the most haunting symbol of the strike after a video showed him engulfed in flames, seated in a chair amid the wreckage of the tent.

His legs spasmed and he slowly attempted to raise his arms as bystanders tried in vain to pull him to safety.

The drone strike occurred early Monday. Authorities had earlier confirmed the deaths of journalist Hilmi Al Faqawi, who worked for Palestine Today TV, and his assistant Yousef Al Jazindar, who also served as a driver and photojournalist.

Nine others were injured in the attack, some seriously, including Mansour.

The group had been resting in a tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The surroundings of hospitals like Nasser have become informal refuge zones for displaced Gazans, but even proximity to sites protected under international humanitarian law has not shielded them from bombardment during the ongoing conflict.

The Israeli army said one of the 11 persons affected by the strike was a Hamas member, though it offered no evidence to the claim.

“Overnight, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the Shin Bet (Israel’s Internal Security Agency) targeted Hamas terrorist Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohamed Aslih in the Khan Younis area, who operates under the guise of a journalist and owns a newspaper company,” the military said in a statement.

Hassan Aslih was among those injured in the attack. EFE

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