Gaza: Palestinian photojournalist Mahmoud Wadi has been killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza, where the regime has been deliberately targeting journalists as part of a wider campaign widely seen as aimed at silencing the Palestinian narrative of the months-long war in the territory.
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Wadi was killed on Tuesday by a drone strike in central Khan Yunis. The attack took place in an area near the so-called yellow line, from which Israeli forces had withdrawn under the ceasefire deal that came into force on October 10.
The reports, citing Palestinian sources, described Wadi's killing as an assassination, saying he was directly targeted by the drone fire. According to figures announced by Gaza's Government Information Office in late October this year, 256 media personnel had been killed by Israel since the war began on October 7, 2023. Wadi's death brings the number to 257.
Reacting to his killing, the Palestinian Journalists' Association said that these crimes will not deter the 'knights of the image' from continuing their role in exposing the Israeli regime's violations, Shehab News reported.
On Monday, the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted a forum titled 'The 2025 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East,' which focused on the dangers of reporting from Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A press release from the seminar said that more than 260 media workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, while "journalists in the West Bank continue to face violence and intimidation."
Speakers described Gaza as the 'deadliest conflict' for journalists, while a readout from UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres criticized 'the unacceptable ban that prevents international journalists from accessing Gaza.' 'The rules of war are clear: Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not a target. Journalists must be able to perform their essential work without interference, intimidation, or harm,' Guterres said in his message read out at the seminar.