At around 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, the 5th of June, 2025, at least six civilians, five of whom were journalists, were reportedly killed and five others, including four journalists and a doctor, were injured by an alleged Israeli missile which hit a tent for journalists in the courtyard of the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in central Gaza City. According to the website Genocide in Gaza, the attack happened without prior warning. A seventh person was killed and has been identified as a militant.
Five journalists – 31- or 32-year-old Suleiman (Hani Suleiman) Hajjaj (a reporter and photographer for Palestine Today TV Channel), 33- or 34-year-old Ismail (Kamal Nimr) Badah (a cameraman for Palestine Today TV Channel), 27- or 28-year-old Samir (Hosni Mohammed) al-Rifai (an editor for Shams News Agency), 23-year-old Ahmed (Alaa Mohamed) Qaljah (a freelance cameraman for Al-Arabiya TV) – were killed. Three others – 12-year-old Issam Muhib (Hassan) Jundia, 47-year-old Ammar Ismail Muhammad Abu Baid and 22-year-old Rasmy Fathi (Khamis) Salem Diab (a militant) – were also killed. Journalists Imad Dalloul (employed with Palestine Today Channel) and Mahmoud al-Ghazi (an Al-Aqsa Network editor) were injured in the strike, as were brothers Imam Badr (a camera operator for Al-Arabiya TV) and Islam Badr (a correspondent for Al-Arabiya TV). Surgeon Dr. Nepal Abu Asr was also wounded in the incident.
Islam Badr, one of the injured journalists, who witnessed the strike, told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): “The strike happened at around 10:20 a.m. with a single missile fired by an Israeli drone directly at a group of journalists who were sitting in the courtyard, working on their laptops.”
Where a belligerent was identified by witnesses, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military. An IDF spokesperson confirmed on the official IDF Telegram channel that a precision strike was carried out targeting the Al-Ahli hospital. The post claims to have precisely struck an “Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command and control centre in the yard of the Al-Ahli hospital.”
As reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Avichay Adraee, IDF spokesperson for Arabic Media, later also published a statement on his Facebook page acknowledging the targeting of Suleiman Hajjaj and Samir Al-Rifai, claiming they were members of the Islamic Jihad movement who were acting “as if they were journalists.” Adraee alleged that they “were masquerading as journalists and operating from inside the Baptist Hospital to facilitate terrorist activity.” He provided no evidence for his claims. Airwars does not consider statements from the perpetrator of an incident as sufficient evidence of militant affiliation. As such, Airwars considers them civilians until further information comes to light.
Palestine Today TV described the killings as a “double war crime” for “direct targeting” of its journalists and a hospital, both protected under international law.
Suleiman Hajjajm, a reporter and photographer for Palestine Today TV Channel, wrote in one of the messenger apps a day before his death: “These are almost our last days, guys. Forgive us.” An image attached to this post by Anis Hima on Facebook, along with the screenshot of the message, shows a young man with dark hair and a dark, neat beard, wearing a tailcoat, a white shirt, and a bow tie.
An emotional video filmed by Rami Zohud and posted on Facebook by @awdehchannel shows Suleiman’s mother, a middle-aged woman in a black abaya, hysterically crying after getting news about his death. She is supported and accompanied by another woman.
33-year-old Ismail Badah, a photojournalist for Palestine Today TV Channel, which is affiliated with Islamic Jihad (according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists), was killed alongside his three other colleagues.
Ahmed Qaljah, a 23-year-old freelance cameraman for Al-Arabiya TV, was initially gravely injured and succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of the next day, June 6. In an image shared by the local sources, he is seen wearing a grey T-shirt and looking into the camera. A video by Al Hadath Palestine shows the funeral of Ahmed – his body covered with a press vest was transported on a stretcher to a cemetery.
Qalijah’s father, Alaa, told CPJ that since he was fasting for the Day of Arafah, his son had gone to work that day without breakfast. “An Israeli drone targeted a group of journalists who were sitting at a table in the hospital courtyard. Several were killed,” he said. “Ahmad, who was sitting a few meters away, was hit by three pieces of shrapnel in the brain. He fell into a coma with brain paralysis and passed away at 1 a.m. on Friday.”
According to a CPJ report, Qalijah had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media from Al-Azhar University in Gaza. “He hadn’t even received his diploma yet, but he had been working as a cameraman since the beginning of the war,” his father said. “He loved journalism. I work as the deputy director of outside broadcasting at Palestine TV, so I encouraged him and provided him with training opportunities.”
Baddah’s sister, Raeda Baddah, told CPJ: “I believe the Israeli strike was deliberate, as the missile hit them directly.” CPJ also noted that he was the father of three children. In an image of Ismail attached to the report, he is seen as a young man with short black hair and a neat beard, wearing glasses. He is wearing a black hoodie and a beige vest and is taking a selfie outdoors, while a group of people is seen behind him. Another image of him shared by Siham-Haifa Daoud on Facebook shows him standing near his camera, in a beige T-shirt and a vest with the inscription “press.”
One of Ismail’s colleagues, Ayesh M Abu Shanab, wrote that he was shocked by his death, adding, “I bear witness that you are one of the respectable and well-mannered people I have known, and that I learned photography from some of the people.” Mohammed Bashir Hammad also mourned the death of his “friend” and “soulmate” Ismail, saying that “There are still many stories and tales we need to tell each other.”
Samir al-Rifai, an editor for Shams News Agency, was also among the victims. Alaa Alaa on Facebook mourned his loss, calling Samir his “beloved brother,” and shared his image taken on a festive occasion. Samir is seen sitting on a chair dressed in a white shirt and a black suit, gently smiling at the camera. He was a young man with a thick black beard.
Imad Dalloul, a journalist for Palestine Today TV channel, was seriously injured but survived. Shaker Mansour on Facebook called for prayers for the health of the wounded journalist. In the image attached to the post, Imad is seen standing in front of a camera, wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt and a vest with the inscription “press,” holding a microphone.
Ibrahim Ahmed mourned the death of his wife’s brother, a young man, Rasmi Fathi Salem Diab, saying that “his soul has ascended to Heaven.” In an image attached to the post, Rasmi is seen sitting at a table in what looks like a restaurant or café, wearing a red button-up shirt and smiling directly at the camera. He is holding a smartphone in both hands.
Maher Salem also grieved the loss of Rasmi, his nephew and the son of “his beloved sister Umm Muhammad.” He added another image of the young man where he is standing outdoors, wearing dark sunglasses and a light-blue long-sleeved shirt.
Kanaan Abdallh lamented the loss of a 12-year-old boy, his nephew Issam Jundia, wishing that “Allah accept him into the highest ranks.” The image of Kanaan attached to the post shows a young boy standing outdoors, with dark hair and a soft, youthful face, smiling gently. He is wearing a dark-coloured jacket with the inscription “Brooklyn.”
Amar Abu Bayd was mourned by Anas Otaydah on Facebook, who called him a “dear kind-hearted man” and a “dear neighbour,” showing his image of a middle-aged man standing by the water, likely at a beach or riverside. He is wearing a short-sleeved reddish-brown shirt and dark pants. He has short dark hair and light facial hair, and he is looking directly at the camera.
Nepal Abu Asr, a female doctor at the Baptist Hospital, was injured while on duty. Musa Abu Asr wrote on Facebook: “Thank God for your safety, and God willing, you will return stronger to serve the patients and your people in Gaza City.” He added an image of a woman sitting on a chair in a white medical uniform and a brown headscarf.
Images of dark clouds of smoke emerging from the hospital grounds were shared on social media.
A Facebook post by Msdr News quoted the director of the Hospital who alleged that this was the eighth time the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was targeted since the beginning of the war.
Where possible, the names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released a number of lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the ninth “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on June 23, 2025. The names within parentheses were found from the MoH list rather than local sources
Where possible, the ages of victims have also been found by cross-checking names against lists of fatalities shared online by Genocide in Gaza, an organisation that has a list of “Martyrs of Palestine” from 2023 onward. In case of a discrepancy in ages, both are indicated.