The Qatar Press Center on Thursday strongly condemned the assassination of journalist Mohammed Washah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher.

Journalist Mohammed Washah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday targeting his vehicle near Al-Nabulsi roundabout, west of Gaza City. 

Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli air strike caused the car to burst into flames.

Qatar Press Center in a statement on Thursday said that this targeting constitutes a new link in a systematic chain of crimes aimed at silencing the voice of truth, preventing the reporting of civilians’ suffering, and covering up the grave violations committed against the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Center warned that this represents a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe and obstructing relief and reconstruction efforts.

“The martyrdom of colleague Mohammed Washah raises the number of journalist martyrs since the start of the war of mass extermination on the Gaza Strip to 262 journalists,” the Centre said.

Israel has been targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023.

In a statement to Al Jazeera Media network, on Wednesday, the Gaza Government Media Office said that the killing of Washah was an example of the “systematic targeting and assassination of Palestinian journalists” by Israel.

“This constitutes a new and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, and reflects a continued systematic policy of targeting journalists and silencing the voice of truth,” a statement from the Media Office said.

The Qatar Press Center added that 38 of the journalists killed are women, while approximately 22 female journalists remain detained in Israeli prisons, describing this as a blatant violation of international laws and covenants that guarantee press freedom and the protection of media workers.

The Center held Israeli authorities fully responsible for these crimes and urged the international community to take action to hold the perpetrators accountable before competent international courts.

The Center called for strong and effective international pressure to end these crimes in Gaza, ensure urgent protection for journalists and media workers, and stop the ongoing targeting and killings, describing them as a blatant attack on press freedom and the public’s right to information.