Gaza's Civil Defense confirmed that Israeli air strikes against northern Gaza's Beit Lahia killed nine people on Saturday, including several journalists and charity workers. This is the highest number of casualties in a single day since the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel began on Jan. 19.

The organization's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, confirmed to AFP that nine dead were transferred to hospital, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center said in a statement that three journalists killed in the strike were part of "a media team documenting relief efforts in northern Gaza."

When the cease-fire began, various charitable and humanitarian organizations ramped up efforts to provide humanitarian support for Palestinians, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for two strikes against "two terrorists operating a drone" in the town, and then another strike against a vehicle carrying "other terrorists who had come to retrieve" the gear.

Fares Awad, head of emergency services in northern Gaza, identified one of the dead as Mahmoud Islim, a local reporter who was operating a drone.

Photojournalists often use drones to capture bird's-eye-view photos and footage for news reports. This is not the first time the Israeli army has killed journalists who were seen using standard equipment.

In January 2024, four journalists were returning from the scene of an Israeli strike on a building, where they had used a drone to capture the aftermath, the Washington Post reported.

The Israeli army bombed their car, killing two and injuring the others. The drone — a consumer model available at Best Buy — was used by Israel as justification for their killing, saying it had "identified and struck a terrorist who operated an aircraft that posed a threat to [Israeli] troops.”