The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an investigation following reports on the war in Gaza by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters and Agence France-Presse suggesting the strike that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others was a “a deliberate assault by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on civilians, which constitutes a war crime.”

CPJ also said there has been “a deadly pattern of IDF force that killed 20 journalists over the last 22 years” with no accountability.

The IDF had not responded to a request for comment at press time.

As of December 11, at least 63 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war, according to CPJ sources and media reports, the vast majority of them (56) Palestinians and the vast majority of those in Israeli airstrikes.

CPJ says it cannot confirm that all the deaths cited occurred during the conduct of their journalistic mission but inludes them while it investigations the circumstances. It also points out that as of December 11, 11 journalists were reported injured, three were missing and 19 had reportedly been arrested.

“Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said. “Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

The Middle East conflict's toll on journalists continues to climb.

As of October 18, 19 journalists had been killed related to the Hamas attack on Isarel and that country's declaration of war and airstrikes on Gaza.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the dead included 15 Palestinians, three Israelis, and one Lebanese.

But that total could rise. CPJ says it continues to investigate reports, not yet confirmed, of others killed or missing, as well as those detained and injured.

CPJ also responded to what it called Israeli threats to close the local bureau of Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, saying it should be free to report freely about the conflict.

In addition to the deaths reported by CPJ last weekend, the following names have been added to the list, based on media reports and CPJ's own sources:

• Mohammad Balousha, with the Palestine Today channel, killed in an airstrike.
• Issam Bhar, with Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, killed in an airstrike.
• Abdulhadi Habib, with Al-Manara News Agency, killed in a missile strike.
• Yousef Maher Dawas, contributing writer for Palestine Chronicle, killed in an airstrike.
• Salam Mema, freelance journalist and “head of the Women Journalists Committee at the Palestinian Media Assembly,” killed in an airstrike.

A building that was home to media outlets Al Jazeera and the AP in Gaza City was destroyed in an Israeli air raid Saturday (May 15), according to Al Jazeera.

It was unclear whether there were any casualties, though Al Jazeera reported that Israel had warned occupants of the building, including the journalists, to evacuate an hour before the attack.

The AP said on its website that its staffers and other residents of the building had all evacuated following that call from Israeli military, after which three missiles struck the building, reducing it to rubble.

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AP had occupied top floor offices for the last 15 years, including 24-hour live shots of the rockets aimed at Israel and the Israeli airstrikes like the one that leveled the building.

“The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today,” said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt in a statement. “We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza.”

According to the New York Times, the Israeli military said it struck the building because it also housed military assets of Hamas and the AP said the military claimed Hamas was using journalists to shield those assets. But AP said it provided no evidence that was the case.

Also Read: CPJ Cites Attacks on Journalists

Only the day before had it been called for Israeli forces to ensure that journalists could cover the conflict freely and safely. Following the attack on the building, CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative Ignacio Miguel Delgado said: "It is utterly unacceptable for Israel to bomb and destroy the offices of media outlets and endanger the lives of journalists, especially since Israeli authorities know where those media outlets are housed," and reiterated CPJ's call for protections. "Israeli authorities must ensure that journalists can do their jobs safely without fear of being injured or killed.”

According to Reporters Without Borders,  Israeli airstrikes during the conflict have already destroyed buildings housing numerous media outlets including the pan-Arab TV channel Al-Araby and radio and TV outlet Al-Aqsa, with Israel saying Hamas was hiding weapons in those buildings as well.

Al Jazeera America has slated a one-hour special report for tonight (Aug. 1) at 11 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. PT with breaking news and analysis of the ongoing war between Israeli defense forces and Hamas in Gaza. Gaza: Witness To War will be hosted by Jerusalem correspondent Nick Schifrin, whose live report in Gaza on Thursday night featured the sight of an Israeli missile strike on a building nearby causing severe damage to the structure.

The special will also include reports from Paul Beban, Jonathan Betz, John Terrett, Stefanie Dekker, John Hendren and Charles Stratford, Al Jazeera America said. It will introduce Gazans cut off and caught in the crossfire; take a closer look at Hamas, its weapons and tunnels that lead into Israel; and show how residents are striving to preserve everyday life amid the death and destruction, the network said.