Palestinian media reported today that journalist Islam Al-Koumi was killed by the Israeli occupation in an airstrike on the Sabra neighborhood east of Gaza City. More than 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the war, a number more than six times the journalists killed during the four-year Bosnian War. These figures exceed even the losses of journalists in World Wars I and II, or the Vietnam War. Last week, two human rights organizations filed a joint lawsuit at the International Criminal Court over Israel’s targeting of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent journalists. The network said Al-Sharif was killed in an Israeli airstrike alongside fellow correspondent Mohammad Qariqa, photographers Ibrahim Al-Zaher and Moamen Alawiyeh, and Mohammad Nofal.

The lawsuit stated that Israel’s targeting of journalists is “not isolated incidents.” The organizations added that “Israel pursues a systematic policy targeting Al Jazeera journalists, labeling them terrorists without convincing evidence, publicly defaming them to strip their humanity and justify their killing, and eliminating them through targeted strikes.” They demanded arrest warrants for specific Israeli military officials named in the lawsuit and an expansion of the current ICC warrant against Netanyahu to include crimes against journalists.