Israeli killing of journalists suppresses Palestinians' voice, press freedom: official

Palestinian journalists and media unions are condemning the killing of several reporters in Gaza by Israeli strikes, calling it a deliberate suppression of the Palestinian people's voice and a violation of press freedom.

Hospitals in Gaza reported that Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians on Wednesday, including two children and three journalists, in the latest violence to undermine a three-month-old ceasefire.

Israeli officials said the journalists were operating a drone near military positions, a claim which the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has rejected.

"Israel's targeting of journalists is ongoing, confirming that what is happening is an assassination campaign. The Israeli occupation does not want the Palestinian image and voice to reach the world, which is why we have witnessed this massacre, adding to the long list of crimes committed by the occupation against journalists," said Ahed Farawneh, secretary general of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.

Media workers said more than 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the conflict began, describing the attacks as part of a broader effort to silence coverage from the ground.

"The killing of fellow journalists is a premeditated and deliberate act of murder. Evidence shows that since the beginning of the war, Israel has killed around 267 journalists, and three more colleagues have now been added to that toll while they were on a purely humanitarian mission," said Palestinian journalist Ahmed Ghanem.

"The accusation is filming with a drone. Unfortunately, any journalist who uses a drone to film is effectively sentencing themselves to death. These kinds of targeted attacks against journalists prevent others from using this tool in their work," said Shorouq Shaheen, another Palestinian journalist.

Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1.00 percent to 3,880.10 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.99 percent lower at 13,352.90 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices totaled 1.66 trillion yuan (about 240.83 billion U.S. dollars), down from 1.84 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to lithography led gains, while grain-related shares, the ecological agriculture sector, and the medical waste treatment sector declined.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.73 percent to close at 3,149.60 points.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 0.02 percent higher at 1,631.67 points.