Israeli drone strike in Gaza kills a Palestinian journalist

The officials said Mahmoud Wadi lost his life on Tuesday afternoon when an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle targeted an area in the city of Khan Yunis beyond the so-called yellow line.

The so-called yellow line is a temporary demarcation boundary inside the Gaza Strip to which Israeli forces agreed to withdraw as part of the first phase of the truce deal.

Meanwhile, there are reports of artillery shelling and heavy gunfire from Israeli helicopters inside the so-called yellow line east of Khan Yunis, according to Press TV.

In the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Israeli forces also demolished residential buildings inside the "yellow line."

With Israel maintaining its restriction on foreign journalists entering Gaza, Palestinian reporters serve as the sole direct sources of information from within the conflict zone.

The Federation of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed deep concern over the continued targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces.

The federation emphasized that the ongoing developments in Gaza constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms.

It argued that the actions are accompanied by Israeli measures infringing upon press and media freedom, alongside efforts to suppress truth, stifle dissent, conceal daily violations, and hinder the dissemination of realities to the international audience.

Since October 2023, Israeli forces have caused the deaths of at least 70,000 individuals, the majority being women and children, during a two-year genocidal campaign in Gaza.

The onslaught has caused extensive destruction to homes and civilian infrastructure, leaving the territory's remaining residents in a critical situation.

Various international organizations, such as the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and several other human rights groups, have determined that the Israeli military actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

MNA