Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli fire while covering aid seekers in Gaza

A Palestinian journalist was killed by Israeli forces in northern Gaza on Saturday, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said.

The non-governmental organization said Khaled al-Madhoun, a cameraman working for the official Palestine TV channel, was shot dead by Israeli fire in the Zikim area.

Al-Madhoun was reporting in an area where Palestinians had gathered in search of humanitarian aid when the incident took place.

The syndicate condemned the killing as part of a "systematic campaign" against journalists aimed at silencing Palestinian voices, stressing that reporters in Gaza remain committed to their mission "despite the dangers."

With al-Madhoun's death, the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 rose to 240, according to the enclave's government media office.

Earlier this month, Israel killed six journalists, five of them being part of Al Jazeera, in a strike on their tent near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital.

Journalists in Gaza have repeatedly been subjected to Israeli strikes, arrests and threats, despite international warnings, in what observers describe as attempts to silence coverage of the war.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 62,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.