Palestinian journalists’ rights groups have condemned the recent killing of a freelance cameraman in an attack by an Israeli army long-range rifle in the central part of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, in a statement on Saturday, denounced the fatal attack on Saed Abu Nabhan the previous day, and described the Israeli military’s actions as an “intentional effort to conceal the truth and obscure crimes against the Palestinian people.”

It characterized Abu Nabhan’s killing as a continuation of the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and media personnel, emphasizing such moves are in violation of the international law and press freedom.

The Palestinian Center for the Protection of Journalists also condemned the murder, and demanded an independent international committee to investigate “war crimes committed against journalists in Gaza.”

Moreover, the Palestinian Media Forum described Abu Nabhan as a martyr who sacrificed his life to highlight the plight of Palestinian people, denouncing the international community’s inaction to protect Palestinian journalists.

 According to a statement from the Gaza Media Office, Abu Nabhan, who was covering events at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, was “martyred by the bullets of Israeli snipers.”

It described the killing as part of Israel’s “targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists”, and lashed out at the Zionist regime and its allies, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, of bearing full responsibility for the assault.

Israeli military forces initially surrounded an area in the al-Jadeed refugee camp, located in central Gaza’s Nuseirat region, before targeting those in the area.

Footage published on social media platforms showed a wounded individual being rushed out of a house on a stretcher by aid workers.

Abu Nabhan is seen nearby, trying to run while covering the incident with his equipment. At that moment, he is apparently targeted by a shot from a long-range rifle.

The Palestinian cameraman then falls to the ground and lies motionless. Those nearby struggle to approach him due to the threat of being targeted by Israeli bullets.

Abu Nabhan’s death brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed as a result of the Israeli genocidal campaign on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, to 203.

Reports also indicate that 399 journalists have been injured, and another 43 have been arrested.

Journalists working within the Palestinian territory encounter heightened risks while covering the genocidal war, particularly in light of Israeli ground assaults and airstrikes, as well as challenges such as disrupted communications, shortages of supplies, and power outages.

In the face of these difficulties, Palestinian journalists have persisted in documenting the atrocities of the war, acting as the global community’s eyes and ears throughout one of the most deadly wars of the 21st century.

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 46,537 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 109,571 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

On November 21 last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.