(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The attacks on two buildings that house media offices injured six journalists and sparked a wave of Palestinian condemnation and fury.
At about 1:30 am local time, Israeli Apache helicopters fired four rockets on the roof of Shawa & Hossari building in Gaza City. Two of them exploded in the office of the Beirut-based al-Quds satellite channel, wounding six employees, most of whom were camera operators.
Khader Zahar, a cameraman, lost his right leg in the blast while one of his colleagues sustained shrapnel injury in the face, according to Ayman Ammar of the al-Quds television.
The building also houses local radio stations and international media bureaus like German broadcaster ARD.
A few hours later, Israeli airplanes launched two rockets at nearby Shourouq building, hitting the headquarters of a Hamas-run television. There were no reports of injuries in the building, where there are companies providing broadcast services to CBS, Sky News and Fox News.
The attacks against the media offices came as the death toll of Israel's military campaign rose to 54, at least 10 of whom were children.
Israeli airstrikes, which started Wednesday, have been the fiercest since the end of Operation Cast Lead in January 2009, which left as many as 1,400 Palestinians dead.
On Sunday, three children were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in central and Northern Gaza Strip.
Responding to Israeli attacks, Hamas used long-range rockets for the first time, sending them to the outskirts of Jerusalem and the central city of Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, dozens of journalists joined a sit-in protest in front of Shawa & Hossari building against the attacks on the media.
Representatives of local rights groups also took part in the protest, during which the participants held banners reading "No to Targeting Journalists" and "The Knights of Truth Will Not Give Up".
Ihab al-Ghussein, head of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said that Israel "committed a crime against journalists and journalism institutions". He described the attacks as "a war crime that requires its perpetrators to be put before international justice".
End item/ 149
