Palestinian photojournalists Ibrahim Lafi and Mohammad al-Salihi were killed on Saturday while covering the hostilities between Hamas and Israel near Gaza, the international press advocacy group Reporters Without Border (RSF) said. The NGO reported earlier that both men had disappeared in the city of Beit Hanoun on the northeast edge of Gaza.
“RSF denounces the crimes and calls on all parties to ensure the protection of reporters,” the group said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
Pan-Arabic news channel Al Arabiya quoted Palestinian media as claiming that al-Salihi had been killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the Gaza border.
RSF also expressed concern for the wellbeing of two other photojournalists, Nidal Al Whaidi and Haytham Abdel Wahed, adding that both had disappeared on Saturday in Beit Hanoun.
Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Gaza since Saturday in response to a large-scale cross-border attack by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. The IDF maintains that it only targets Hamas-linked sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the residents of Gaza to “leave now” as he promised harsh reprisals against the militants.
Early on Saturday morning, Hamas and its allies began firing rockets at Israeli cities and sent armed groups to infiltrate Israeli territory. The militants attacked soldiers and civilians, taking multiple hostages.
More than 700 Israelis and at least 413 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting broke out.
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