Al Jazeera has condemned the killing of one of its Palestinian journalists in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, describing the attack as a "deliberate and targeted crime."
Mohammed Wishah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, and one other person died Wednesday when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in Gaza City, according to the Qatar-based network and local health officials.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the target, alleging Wishah was a "key terrorist in Hamas' rocket and weapons production headquarters" who operated under the guise of a journalist.
The military stated the strike was carried out because Wishah posed a concrete threat to its forces. The IDF cited photos allegedly showing Wishah handling a rocket-propelled grenade launcher as evidence of his involvement in militant activities.
Al Jazeera and Hamas have both denied that Wishah had any affiliation with the armed group.
"This constitutes a new and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms," Al Jazeera said in a statement, accusing the military of a "systematic policy of targeting journalists."
The network added it would pursue all necessary legal action to prosecute those responsible for the deaths of its staff in Gaza.
Rising casualties in the region
Wishah is the 11th Al Jazeera journalist killed since the start of the war in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the killing in the strongest possible terms.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that more than 220 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the last two and a single years, with at least 70 killed while performing their duties.
The violence has extended beyond Gaza. The CPJ reported that two other journalists, Ghada Dayekh and Suzan Khalil, were killed in separate Israeli strikes in Lebanon this week.
"Journalists are being killed at a pace and scale that should shock the conscience of the world," said CPJ regional director Sara Qudah.
Qudah stated that these attacks reflect a failure to uphold protections for civilian journalists under international law and warned that a lack of accountability will embolden further violence.
