(MENAFN) The German Journalists' Association (DJV) on Monday issued a sharp rebuke against Israeli military operations in Gaza resulting in the death of multiple Palestinian journalists, demanding a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding their killings.

DJV Chairman Mika Beuster condemned the deaths of an "unbearably high number" of journalists since the onset of the Gaza conflict and emphasized that there is no justification for attacking a journalists' tent in Gaza City where the Al Jazeera team was based.

"The fact that media professionals are dying in the armed conflict is terrible enough. That they are being deliberately targeted based on unverifiable accusations is unacceptable," Beuster said. He further noted that Israel’s allegations of journalists having connections to Hamas were dismissed by both the United Nations and Al Jazeera itself.

On Sunday, two Al Jazeera correspondents, Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qraiqea, were among five journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike on a journalists' tent near the Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the Israeli military’s killing of its reporters in Gaza, labeling it “a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza.”

Following these deaths, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported the total number of journalists killed since the start of the Israeli offensive has reached 238. Other victims include photojournalists Ibrahim Dahir and Moumin Alaywa, as well as assistant photojournalist Mohammed Noufal. Later, the office confirmed that Mohammed Al-Khalidi, a Palestinian journalist working for the Sahat news outlet, succumbed to injuries from the same Israeli strike.

Israel, rejecting international demands for a ceasefire, has intensified a relentless military campaign in Gaza since October 2023. The operation has resulted in over 61,000 Palestinian deaths, nearly half of whom are women and children, and has left the territory devastated and on the brink of famine.

Despite global outcry over accusations of ethnic cleansing and potential genocide, Israel’s Security Cabinet on Friday greenlit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to escalate military efforts and fully occupy Gaza City.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) also issued an interim ruling last year, stating it is "plausible" that Israel's actions may constitute genocide. The ICJ ordered Israel to comply with international law and ensure humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians trapped under siege in Gaza.

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