GAZA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of journalists held a protest in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on Saturday, urging the international community to protect media workers from repeated Israeli targeting.

The protest was organized by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to mark World Press Freedom Day. The journalists gathered at the Nasser Medical Complex in the city and held up signs reading "Stop Killing Journalists."

In a speech during the protest, Tahseen Al-Astal, the syndicate's deputy head, accused Israel of committing "a crime against Palestinian journalists by directly killing them and destroying their homes."

Al-Astal considered the media situation in Gaza to be among "the most dangerous in the world, given the complete absence of any safety guarantees, the destruction of press institutions, and the deprivation of the most basic work tools."

Saying the Israeli occupation is fully responsible for these crimes, he called on international institutions to take serious action to "hold the killers accountable."

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 212 journalists, injured 409, and arrested 48 others, the Hamas-run media office reported on Saturday. ■