• The strike targeted Tal Al-Sultan district in western Rafah
• Abu Ghali died with his mother and sister

Arab News

GAZA: Palestinian journalist Zakaria Abu Ghali was killed on Tuesday, along with his mother and sister, in an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

According to Arab News’ reporter in southern Gaza, the strike hit targets in Rafah’s densely populated Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, including Abu Ghali’s home.

He was a journalist and screenwriter at Al-Quds Today TV channel.

At least 122 journalists and media professionals have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s onslaught in October, according to UN figures.

UN experts said in a recent press release that the Palestinian enclave “has become the deadliest and most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history.”

They warned that “targeted attacks and killings of journalists are war crimes,” stressing that “journalists are entitled to protection as civilians under international humanitarian law.”

They urged Israeli authorities “to allow journalists to enter Gaza and protect the safety of all journalists in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

On Tuesday, at around 10 p.m. local time, Israeli artillery shells also hit the home of the Abu Akar family, in which many displaced families were taking shelter. The strikes wounded several Palestinians, including three children.

Tal Al-Sultan, close to the border with Egypt, has been home to thousands of displaced Palestinian families since October.

In the wake of Tuesday’s strikes, many displaced families packed what little they owned and fled, during what Arab News’ reporter said was one of the coldest nights of the year.

The UN estimates that 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have been displaced since October.