“The fatalities included six female journalists,” the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said in a statement late Friday.

Israeli troops fired gas canisters directly at ambulances, paramedics and press crews east of Jabaliya in the besieged Palestinian territory. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed the report, but said all casualties received treatment on the spot, rather than in hospital.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has condemned the Israeli forces for targeting journalists covering protests on the Gaza border fence with Israel on Friday.

Israeli forces have directly fired at Palestinian journalists in Beita amid intensifying situation in the West Bank city of Nablus.