The number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 has risen to 225, the media office of the Gaza government said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement read, “Since the beginning of the war of extermination against the Palestinian population, the number of killed journalists has increased to 225 after the deaths of four more people. We call on the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and journalistic organisations worldwide to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media workers in the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier on Thursday, Tahseen al-Astal, deputy director of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, told RIA Novosti that four media workers from Arab satellite TV channels were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The strike reportedly targeted their tent near the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) condemned the killings and called for an immediate investigation into their deaths.

According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, more than 4,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,400 injured in the enclave since March 18.

Israel resumed its strikes on Gaza that day, citing Hamas’ refusal to accept a U.S.-brokered plan to extend a ceasefire and release hostages. The truce had expired on March 1.

In early March, Israel also cut off electricity to a key desalination plant in Gaza and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid trucks.

(RIA/NAN)