Hamas says three journalists killed in Israeli raids on Gaza

Gaza’s Hamas-run government said three journalists were killed in Israeli raids on Friday as fierce fighting resumed after a week-long truce.

The government press office identified the three as cameraman Muntassir al-Sawwaf, who worked for Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency, his brother Marwan, who worked as a soundman, and cameraman Abdullah Darwish.

It said their deaths brought to 73 the number of journalists killed since the war began on October 7.

The Turkish agency confirmed Friday the death of Sawwaf and two others who it did not name in southern Gaza.

“We are concerned about the lives of our colleagues, who fulfil their duties with great devotion under very difficult conditions,” Anadolu general director Serdar Karagoz said.

“We will continue our struggle to ensure that those who carried out these attacks are held to account.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said earlier Friday that at least 57 journalists and media workers had died since the start of the war.

Gaza’s deadliest war began when Hamas militants on October 7 launched a shock attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Israel responded with an air and artillery assault on the Gaza Strip that it said aimed to topple Hamas and return more than 240 hostages.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 178 people had died in the territory since a seven-day pause in hostilities expired early Friday and ground battles and Israel air strikes resumed.

During the truce, Hamas freed 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas authorities say the Israeli campaign has killed more than 15,000 people, mostly civilians.