Palestinian journalist, son killed in Israeli strike on Gaza Strip

Saher Akram Rayan, a correspondent of the Palestinian news agency WAFA, was killed in western Gaza City on Monday. He had been working for WAFA for more than 20 years.

Rayan and his son were killed as they were trying to rescue members of a family, whose house came under attack, WAFA reported.

Three Palestinian journalists were also killed in Israeli airstrikes on Saturday, according to Gaza media office.

The latest deaths brought the total number of journalists killed by the regime since early October to 136, according to WAFA.

Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a preliminary investigation which said Israel forces have killed at least 99 journalists and media workers in Gaza and three others in Lebanon since October.

The CPJ is also investigating unconfirmed reports of journalists being killed, missing or kidnapped in the Palestinian territory.

The New York-based committee said in a report last month that 75 percent of journalists killed worldwide in 2023 were Palestinians reporting on Israel’s campaign of death and destruction in Gaza. Those deaths made last year the deadliest for the media in almost a decade, it said.

Journalists working in conflict areas are protected under international humanitarian law. But Reporters Without Borders said Israel’s military forces intentionally target Palestinian and Lebanese journalists.

The Paris-based group warned that “journalism is in the process of being eradicated in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s refusal to heed calls to protect media personnel.”