Hamas announced in a statement that "a new group of journalists has joined the convoy of martyrs in the genocide war waged by the Zionist occupation army against our defenseless people in the Gaza Strip, as its killing machine targeted five journalists and their families in recent hours, raising the number of journalist martyrs who have been killed since the beginning of this aggression to 158. They have been killed brutally, with premeditation, as part of this fascist government's policy of punishing them for performing their mission, obscuring the truth about the atrocities committed against civilians."
It was stated that "this massacre carried out by the terrorist occupation government against journalism and journalists, without any regard for the consequences of its violation of international laws that emphasize their protection and facilitation of their work, requires a firm stance from the international community, the United Nations, and human rights organizations, as well as urgent measures to halt it and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable for their ongoing crimes."
The statement also called on journalists, media figures, and all international journalism and media institutions to "support their Palestinian journalist colleagues, work to continue their mission that the fascist occupation seeks to erase, and provide all means of support and assistance to them, and expose the brutal crimes of the occupation against them."
