Gaza Herald– Palestinian journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari was killed along with her husband and five of their children in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their home in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City.
According to a medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital, rescue teams recovered the bodies of the Al-Jaabari family from beneath the rubble of their destroyed home. The children were aged between two and twelve years old.
The attack was part of a series of intense Israeli airstrikes across various areas of the Gaza Strip in recent hours, which have resulted in more than 100 casualties. Most of the victims were civilians, including women and children.
In her final message posted on X, formerly Twitter, Al-Jaabari wrote: “I’m not afraid of dying from hunger. I’m afraid of a broken spirit.”
News of her death, along with her children, sparked widespread outrage and sorrow. Social media users condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians and media professionals.
Al-Jaabari was killed early Wednesday morning while expecting a new baby. The airstrike also hit the home of Dr. Hassan Al-Shaer, director of Al-Shifa Hospital.
The Palestinian Journalists Forum called on the international community to provide protection for journalists in conflict zones and to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international humanitarian law.
A previous report by the Watson Institute/Costs of War stated that, as of March 26, 2025, the number of journalists killed in the war had reached 232, making it the deadliest conflict for the press worldwide.
Walaa Al-Jaabari was not only a voice for truth in the besieged and wounded Gaza Strip. She was also a mother of five children who perished with her a heartbreaking scene that captures the brutality of the Israeli aggression and highlights the growing number of journalists killed in the line of duty.
AFP: Efforts Underway to Evacuate Journalists from Gaza
On Tuesday, Ezzedine Said, Agence France-Presse’s (AFP) Middle East director, described the situation for journalists in Gaza as extremely difficult amid the ongoing war that began on October 7, 2023.
Speaking from Paris on Al-Mamlaka TV’s Al-Ashera program, he warned that journalists in the Strip face the risk of starvation due to severe shortages of food.
Said said efforts were underway, through French authorities, to secure assistance for evacuating journalists from Gaza. However, he noted that the process remains highly complicated, as current border conditions make it nearly impossible to leave.
“If we evacuate our current team, we must also find a way to maintain news coverage while ensuring their safety,” he explained. “We’re trying to balance both.”
He added that last year, the agency successfully evacuated staff from similarly dangerous conditions during earlier bombings.
So far, the number of journalists killed since the start of the war has reached 228, making this conflict the deadliest for media workers in recent history.
In a war where truth is under fire, protecting journalists is not just a moral responsibility, it is essential for ensuring the world continues to witness what’s unfolding in Gaza.
