The Israeli war machine continues to systematically target Palestinian journalists in an ongoing attempt to silence free voices and obscure the truth in the Gaza Strip.

The Government Media Office in Gaza announced the martyrdom of photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab, bringing the total number of journalists killed since the beginning of the aggression to 228. The office described this as part of a "genocidal war being waged against Palestinian media."

Martyr Abu Hatab, who worked with several media platforms and participated in organizing photographic exhibitions outside Palestine to convey the tragic reality of Gaza, was one of the professional figures who dedicated his lens to exposing violations and documenting the daily suffering of civilians.

In its statement, the Media Office affirmed that the targeting of journalists is "deliberate and systematic," constituting a full-fledged war crime. It called for urgent action by international journalistic and human rights institutions—foremost among them the International Federation of Journalists and the Arab Journalists Union—to put an end to this bloody series.

The office also held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the crimes committed against journalists, alongside the U.S. administration and several European countries—including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France—considering them direct partners in sustaining the war through political and military support.

The statement urged the international community and organizations concerned with press freedom to condemn the crimes committed against journalists and media workers in Gaza and to take practical steps to hold the occupation accountable before international courts, while seriously pressuring for an end to the aggression and for the protection of media personnel from being killed or directly targeted.

The office concluded its statement by emphasizing that the world’s silence in the face of the assassination of truth will not absolve anyone of responsibility. The continued targeting of journalism in Gaza is a direct assault on truth, justice, and the global human conscience.