A Palestinian protagonist of a documentary set to debut this year in a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, a report said Thursday.
Fatima Hassouna and nine of her relatives were killed when the family home in the northern coastal area was hit in the early hours of Wednesday, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) cited medical sources in the Gaza Strip as saying.
When asked, the Israeli army claimed the target of the attack was a member of the local Hamas brigade. The military suggested it had taken steps to spare the civilian population and had used precision weapons.
The Israeli army did not initially comment on casualties in the attack on Gaza City.
None of the information could be independently verified.
Hassouna is the protagonist of the documentary film "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk," which is to be shown in May in the "ACID" parallel series at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The film by Sepideh Farsi is based on video conversations between the Iranian director and Hassouna. It aims to show the life and suffering of the people in the Gaza Strip during the war.
Hassouna, who worked as a photojournalist, was killed one day after the selection of the documentary was announced.
She had gained international recognition for her photojournalism, published in The Guardian and other outlets, documenting the impact of the Israeli military campaign on the Palestinian enclave.
The war began with the Oct. 7, 2023, incursion of southern Israel by Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which caused around 1,200 deaths and took around 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have since been released in cease-fire agreements or other deals. Israel has rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel's genocidal attacks, in comparison, have killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90% of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.
