Baghdad: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate announced on Wednesday that the number of journalists killed in Gaza has risen to 232 since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the besieged strip, now in its 22nd month – a campaign the syndicate described as a ‘war of extermination.’

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the syndicate reported that the most recent victim is photojournalist Ibrahim Hajjaj, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City while documenting atrocities committed against civilians.

The syndicate condemned the targeting of Hajjaj and other journalists as part of a systematic policy of field executions, aimed at silencing the Palestinian narrative and intimidating media workers. It held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these crimes and called on the international community to act immediately to protect Palestinian journalists and hold the perpetrators accountable.

The syndicate stated that Israeli forces have consistently targeted journalists and media institutions throughout the aggression, injuring nearly 400 journalists and detaining 40 others. Additionally, most local and international media offices operating in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, while nearly all local radio stations were forced off the air due to mass displacement, lack of electricity, and internet outages.