Hamas militants ambushed Iraqi troops yesterday in the Gaza Strip, causing the death of eighteen Palestinian civilians.

This is reported to be one of the worst outcomes in recent weeks. Among the victims were five children and also three Israeli soldiers, which is the largest number of Israeli deaths in a single military encounter with Palestinians in at least three years.

Another incident from yesterday’s violence led to the death of a Reuters cameraman, also killed in the Gaza Strip. Fadel Shana, 23, who was covering Wednesday’s violent events, left his car in order to get closer and have a better angle of an Israeli tank dug. Also caught in the explosion was Reuters soundman Wafa Abu Mizyed, 25, who sustained a shrapnel wound and is being treated in a Gaza hospital at the moment.

Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger called for an investigation: "This tragic incident shows the risks journalists take every day to report the news. All governments and organizations have a responsibility to take the utmost care to protect professionals trying to do their jobs," he said, also adding: "Our thoughts are with his family. We request an immediate investigation into the incident by the Israeli defense forces."

Journalists working in the war zone have had numerous mishaps over the years, reports made by Reuters showing that at least nine were killed since 2000 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In October, a Reuters photographer was shot in the leg by an Israeli soldier and two Reuters journalists were wounded by an Israeli tank shell in 2003.