Five journalists killed in Gaza strike, Palestinian media says

Five journalists were killed early Thursday when their vehicle was hit by an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat area of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian news media reports.

The Israeli military said its air force had conducted a "precise" strike overnight on a vehicle in Nuseirat with a "terrorist cell" from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad inside. It did not provide further details or reference the Palestinian reports.

The vehicle, bearing the word "Press" in red letters, was bombed near the gates of the Al Awda Hospital, and belonged to the Palestinian channel Al Quds Today, according to a post on social media from Quds News Network, another Palestinian news outlet.

The Reuters news agency published a photo from Nuseirat of a charred white van bearing the word "Press" on its back and smoke coming out of the door. The agency said, citing local health authorities, that journalists from Al Quds Today were killed.

Images posted by Quds News Network also showed a charred white van. The provenance of these images could not be independently confirmed.

The Israel military said on Telegram that it had taken "numerous steps" to mitigate the risk to civilians before the strike it conducted in Nuseirat overnight, including using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence.

The Israeli military has previously said that it has never deliberately targeted journalists but that it considers members of "an organized armed group" such as the military wing of Hamas, or those who participate in hostilities, as lawful targets.

In October, it accused six Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza of being fighters in Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

International press organizations have called for the protection of journalists in the Israel-Hamas war, which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year. It has taken an "unprecedented" toll on journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.