News agency reports 43 family members, including Gaza journalist, tragically lost their lives

A Palestinian reporter named Mohammad Abu Hasira and 42 of his family members were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, according to the Wafa news agency. This incident is part of an alarming trend, as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that the past month has been the deadliest for journalists since it started keeping records. The CPJ stated that at least 37 journalists have been killed since the war began, including 32 Palestinians, 4 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese. Although it is unclear whether all of them were covering the conflict at the time of their deaths, the CPJ is including them in its count while it investigates the circumstances. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that it was targeting Hamas throughout Gaza and accused the group of placing military operations near journalists and civilians. IDF also acknowledged that its air strikes could potentially damage nearby buildings. The international news organizations Reuters and AFP were previously notified by Israel that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists working in the Gaza Strip. AFP recently called on Israel to investigate an air strike that severely damaged its office in an 11-story building. In addition to Abu Hasira, other journalists killed include Palestinian correspondent Mohammad Abu Hatab, whose colleague Salman Al-Bashir was deeply distraught upon learning of his death. Two Israeli photographers, Roee Idan and Yaniv Zohar, and members of their families were killed in an attack by Hamas, while two Israeli reporters, Shai Regev and Ayelet Arnin, were killed during a Hamas attack on a music festival. In Lebanon, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah died while covering Israeli rockets fired over the Israel-Lebanon border. Abdallah had posted a photo of himself wearing protective gear just before the incident. Six other journalists were injured in the same strike. The IDF spokesperson expressed regret for the incident and stated that an investigation was underway. The Hamas-run health ministry has reported that more than 10,300 people have been killed during Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which was initiated in response to Hamas' brutal attack on October 7 that left 1,400 people dead and over 230 hostages taken.