**BERLIN**
Germany on Wednesday criticized the Israeli killing of an Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza, calling it unjustified.
“Of course, freedom of the press is a precious asset and must be protected. Therefore, attacks on journalists are never justified and must be prevented,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner told a press briefing in Berlin, adding that journalists must “not become targets in Gaza.”
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, extremely dangerous, and extremely difficult for the people there, as well as for the journalists reporting on it. This must change urgently,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army admitted assassinating a journalist for Qatari outlet Al Jazeera in the Gaza Strip.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said that Hossam Shabat was killed on Monday in a joint operation by the army and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
He alleged that Shabat was a sniper in Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion and took part in attacks against Israeli targets during the Gaza war, a claim vehemently denied by Palestinian journalists.
At least 208 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the government media office.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing nearly 800 people, injuring over 1,600 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,700 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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