Palestinian journalist among 4 killed in Israeli bombing of Gaza neighbourhood

A Palestinian journalist was killed in his house during an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday.

Yusef Abu Hussein, a broadcaster for a local radio station, was among four Palestinians killed in Israel's continued airstrike campaign on the besieged enclave, according to family and colleagues.

"We were able to get out of the house. But my boy, Yusef … was killed," the journalist’s father, Muhammed Abu Hussein, said.

The Voice of Al-Aqsa journalist was at his family home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood when the bombing happened.

#URGENT #Palestine🇵🇸: Journalist Yusef Abu Hussein was killed after an Israeli bombardment of his house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of #Gaza #EndImpunity pic.twitter.com/kaWgoQJwVe

— IFJ (@IFJGlobal) May 19, 2021

Voice of Al-Aqsa said it mourned the loss of its "son and employee" and will organise a vigil for him at Gaza's al-Shifa hospital.

"We also document, in front of the world, this heinous crime committed by the Israeli enemy, including targeting civilians in their homes and attacking the press and media personnel," the radio said.

"Voice of Al-Aqsa Radio will continue to be a voice of truth that exposes the crimes of the Israeli occupation. We will remain a platform for Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian right until our people obtain their right to freedom and live in dignity."

News of Hussein’s death sparked an outcry against Israel’s violence, with many calling for accountability for his killing.

"Occupation crimes against journalists and civilians remain a stain on the international community in general and international organisations and institutions concerned with freedom of opinion and expression in particular. When will you act? And when can it seek to curb the aggression of the Israeli occupier, put an end to its crimes, and hold it accountable?" said Salama Maarouf, head of the ministry of government information in Gaza.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) said it held the "Israeli occupation responsible for this crime".

Locals in Gaza say some 200 strikes have hit the area since Israel began its bombing campaign, replacing the downtown neighbourhood's cafes, restaurants, shops and homes with collapsed buildings, charred debris and cratered roads.

Israel’s deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip began after Hamas, which runs the besieged Palestinian territory, fired rockets at Israel on May 10 in response to an Israeli police assault which injured hundreds of Palestinian worshippers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The strikes have claimed 231 lives, including 63 children, according to the Gaza health ministry.