Funerals held for five Gaza journalists killed by Israel

An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in Gaza overnight, the Health Ministry said early Thursday. The Israeli military said it had targeted a group of militants.

The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local Quds News Network.

The military said it targeted a group of fighters from Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, Gaza's rulers. Associated Press footage showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings still visible on the back doors.

Israel did not give evidence to back its claim.

Several young men attended the funeral outside the hospital, many of them sobbing. The bodies were all wrapped in white shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says over 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war.

Human rights and press freedom watchdogs have accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists in a bid to censor news of its atrocities in Gaza.

Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on strictly controlled guided tours.

Israel's war has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children but does not say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.