GAZA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Two journalists were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck their vehicle in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, Palestinian security sources said on Wednesday.
The attack targeted the vehicle carrying Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi, said the sources who require anonymity.
Al-Ghoul worked as an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza City, while al-Rifi had worked as a cameraman with him for several months during the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to the sources.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the attack.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the "crime" committed by the Israeli army against a group of journalists who were fulfilling their professional duties by covering events in the Shati camp.
The syndicate said in a press release that the "new crime" of killing al-Ghoul and al-Rifi represented a blatant violation of international laws and norms that guarantee the protection and freedom of journalists.
The statement held the Israeli army "fully responsible for this crime, which is part of a context of escalating assassination operations and a systematic policy to suppress the truth and silence the Palestinian voice."
It called on the international community and the International Federation of Journalists to condemn the "crime," protect Palestinian journalists, and conduct an independent investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
The deaths of al-Ghoul and al-Rifi bring the total number of journalists killed in Gaza since the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, to 165, according to the Hamas-run Media Office. ■
