GAZA STRIP: At least 20 Palestinians were killed in bombing of the southern city of Rafah, including a journalist, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The death toll of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, killed by the Israeli army since October 7, has reached 97, as reported by authorities in the besieged enclave on Tuesday.

At least 19,667 people have been killed since Oct 7, while 52,586 have been wounded so far.

Adel Zorob was the latest journalist to fall victim to Israeli airstrikes on Rafah in southern Gaza.

Local authorities in Gaza have accused the Israeli army of intentionally targeting Palestinian journalists to suppress the truth.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed Reuters and AFP that they could not assure the safety of their journalists in theGaza Strip. This response came after the news agencies sought guarantees that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

Journalists covering the conflict in Gaza encounter elevated risks amid the Israeli ground assault, facing challenges such as destructive airstrikes, disrupted communications, shortages ofsupplies, and prolonged power outages.

Complete access Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court, requesting immediate access for international media to the Gaza Strip.

Several Israeli and interna-tional reporters have entered Gaza embedded with the Israeli military, but the association called this `limited access` and said it did not allow `access to areas where soldiers are not present`.

The FPA, which it says represents some 370 journalists from around 130 media outlets, said it had submitted multiple requests to the government to gain access but had not received a response.

Nearly 20,000 Gazans have been killed, the enclave`s health ministry said, during Israel`s campaign to eradicate Hamas militants behind an Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw more than 200 hostages taken captive. The coastal enclave has been left in ruins, with widespread hunger and homelessness.

`We are aware of the unique security challenges posed by the current war, and any members entering Gaza would have to take these risks into account,` the statement said. `But the Israeli government`s recent agreement to allow aid to enter Gaza directly from Israel shows that such obstacles can be overcome.`-Agencies