• Four Palestinian journalists were killed in an Israeli drone strike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.
• The attack has raised the toll of journalists killed in Gaza to 225 since October 2023.
• Local reporters emphasized that the bombing occurred without any prior warning.
• This conflict has been labeled as the "worst-ever" for journalists, according to monitoring groups.

Four Palestinian journalists lost their lives on Thursday due to an Israeli drone strike targeting the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The deceased were identified as Sulaiman Hajjaj, Ismail Badah, Samir Al-Rifa’i, and Ahmed Qalaja, with several others reported injured in the assault, according to AA and Middle East Eye.

The recent fatalities bring the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to at least 225, highlighting a devastating trend. This statistic has led some organizations to describe the current conflict as the "worst-ever" for media workers, with instances of journalist deaths outpacing historical conflicts, as reported by TRT Global and Middle East Eye.

Eyewitness accounts reveal that the bombing caught journalists off guard, with no warning prior to the strike. This incident has further escalated tensions, leading groups like Hamas to condemn Israeli actions as a systematic attempt to suppress the media narrative regarding the ongoing conflict, according to Middle East Eye.

The Israeli military has justified its bombings, alleging that Hamas uses civilian sites, including hospitals, for military operations. However, the high number of casualties among journalists has drawn widespread condemnation internationally and has led to calls for greater protections for media workers, as mentioned by AA and other reports.