Gaza City, August 13 - An Italian journalist was killed in a bomb blast in the Gaza Strip that left an additional four people dead on Wednesday and injured several.
Simone Camilli, 35, was killed by a blast that occurred when Palestinian experts were trying to defuse an unexploded Israeli bomb, according to reports. Palestinian journalist Ali Abu Afash and three members of the bomb squad also died in the blast, staff at Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City said. The device may have been booby trapped, a relative of one of the slain explosives experts told local media.
The video journalist, who worked for several international news organizations including The Associated Press, was born in Rome where his parents still live.
Family members said Camilli had been based in the Middle East but covered a wide range of major events, including numerous conflicts.
They said he also reported on the crash in January 2012 of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that resulted in 32 deaths.
Camilli's father Pier Luigi Camilli is a former journalist at public broadcaster RAI and the mayor of the Tuscan town of Pitigliano, which has suspended all public events until further notice in sign of mourning.
"I am proud of my son. He had this profession in his blood," Camilli told reporters before leaving for Gaza to recover his son's body on Wednesday afternoon. The slain reporter is survived by his wife and three-year-old daughter, ANSA reports.
- Oculus News