May 12, 2021, Gaza -- Several sources in Gaza who spoke to CFWIJ confirm the killing of Palestinian journalist Reema Saad in a bombing. Reema was killed in her apartment alongside her children and husband when Israeli forces attacked civilian residences in the city of Gaza on Tuesday night. Sources who knew Reema, and had worked alongside her also told the CFWIJ that she was four month pregnant at the time. We are both heartbroken and horrified with her loss. 

Acceleration of these events resulted after several days of Israeli armed forces targeting Palestinian civilians following the expulsions orders of Palesitinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. 

On the night of May 11 2021, Israeli forces targeted several residential apartments including a ten-floor tower, Al Jawhara, a 12-floor Hanadi Tower in the al-Rimal neighborhood, the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, as well as the Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City. This resulted in over 40 casualties including children, while over 200 Palestinian were injured in the attack. Our sources on the ground confirmed that journalist Reema Saad, her two children and her husband who were in their home in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood were also killed in the attack.

Reema Saad, who was four months pregnant, as well as her five-year-old son Zaid, and three-year-old daughter Maryam, died on the spot. Her husband Mohamed Al-Tilbani was rushed to the hospital in a critical state, where he later succumbed to his injuries as well. The Israeli forces have alleged that the IDF responded to the missile attacks that Hamas launched onto the Israeli territory following the attack on the worshippers in mosque Al-Aqsa that served as the flashpoint of the current violence.

The CFWIJ would like to point out that women journalists reporting from the ground are at a high risk. We want to acknowledge that local Palestinian journalists are especially vulnerable, for whom this conflict is bearing real and personal costs.

Here’s a testimony by Al-Jazeera journalist Youmna Al-Sayeed we shared earlier who’s house was demolished in one of the bombings. https://twitter.com/CFWIJ/status/1392901606727880704?s=20 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled as we perpetually come across various cases of assaults and abuse towards Palestinian journalists, by the Israeli state. We earlier reported on the violence inflicted upon the women journalists who were covering the events unfolding at the Al-Aqsa mosque at the hands of Israeli forces as well. 

As we reported yesterday (click here for full story), Ultra-Palestine reporter Liwa Abu Armila was targeted with tear gas while covering the raids by Israeli military. Another female journalist Fatima Al-Bakri was also physically assaulted by the Israeli forces while covering the situation on the ground. 

It cannot be ignored that the current acceleration of violence is a result of the provocations by the Israeli law enforcement agencies against Palestinian citizens, neither can it be denied that there is a clear power differential that exists in this situation. The international community needs to step in to ensure an end to this violence and the protection of civilians.