Two Al Jazeera correspondents were killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza, on Wednesday, according to the news network, sparking condemnation from advocacy groups and highlighting the dangers for local reporters covering the war. <\/p>\n
Ismail Al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami Al-Rifi, who lived in the besieged enclave, were killed in an airstrike on their car in the al Shati refugee camp, according to the Qatar-based network. The journalists, both aged 27, were reporting live for much of the day from a location close to the family home of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
Al-Ghoul was wearing a press flak vest when he was killed, according to his colleague. He had not seen his wife and two-year-old daughter Zeina, who were displaced in central Gaza, in 10 months. \u201cThese days are not like any other,\u201d he said in a post on X in June. \u201cZeina began running, talking, asking questions\u2026 She was growing up without me seeing her.\u201d <\/p>\n
Al Jazeera condemned what it claimed was the \u201ctargeted assassination\u201d of its journalists by Israeli forces, claiming the attack was \u201cpart of a systematic targeting campaign against the network\u2019s journalists and their families since October 2023.\u201d <\/p>\n
The network\u2019s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, said in a post on X that Al-Ghoul was \u201crenowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world\u2019s attention to the suffering and atrocities committed in Gaza\u2026 Without Ismail, the world would not have seen the devastating images of these massacres.\u201d <\/p>\n
More than nine months of Israel\u2019s bombing campaign has shredded the besieged enclave, erased entire neighborhoods and deepened a humanitarian crisis. Palestinian reporters have become the eyes and ears of those suffering under the shadow of war. Both Israel and Egypt, which control Gaza\u2019s borders, have so far refused to give international journalists unfettered access to the strip, saying that they cannot guarantee their safety. <\/p>\n
It is the photos, footage and reporting from local reporters, often gathered at great personal risk, that have shown the world what is happening. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has marked the deadliest period for journalists since 1992. As of July 31, at least 111 journalists and media workers have been killed since October \u2014 109 of whom were Palestinian \u2014 according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). <\/p>\n
\u201cI was going home close to where we were filming when one, exactly one missile from a drone targeted Ismail and Rami,\u201d said Ayman Abed, a resident of Al-Shati camp. \u201cThere was nothing unusual except the sound of drones in the sky humming. It was one strike on their car.\u201d <\/p>\n
Israel launched its military offensive after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others abducted. <\/p>\n
Israeli strikes in Gaza have since killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and injured another 90,000, according to the Ministry of Health there. <\/p>\n
Palestinian journalists and press freedom groups paid tribute to Al-Ghoul and Al-Rifi in the wake of the attack, demanding greater accountability for those responsible for attacks on reporters in Gaza. <\/p>\n
The CPJ asked Israel to explain the killing of both Al Jazeera staffers, in what it said, \u201cappears to be a direct strike.\u201d Jodie Ginsberg, the CPJ chief, added: \u201cJournalists are civilians and should never be targeted.\u201d <\/p>\n
The world\u2019s largest union for journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, also criticized the strike, in a post on X: \u201cWe are running out of words to condemn this massacre. Israel must stop killing journalists.\u201d <\/p>\n
Khader Al-Za\u2019anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, recalled his friendship with the Al Jazeera journalist. \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult and painful feeling to cover this horrific story; he\u2019s my friend and colleague, and we\u2019re together in the field most of the time during this war,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur colleague Ismail was wearing this blood-stained vest,\u201d fellow Al Jazeera journalist Yousef Al Saudi said, as he removed the \u201cPRESS\u201d sign from the jacket. \u201cThe sign was covered by blood to silence the world and the images in Gaza. The pictures continue and the coverage continues, God willing.\u201d <\/p>\n
Choking back tears, Al Sharif said: \u201cDear Ismail, we will complete the mission after you.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another video shows journalist Wadi Shehandeh addressing a crowd, saying: \u201cBy targeting us as media professionals, they want this coverage to stop, and to silence us. But no, by God, if only one of the media professionals remained in northern Gaza, they will continue to share the images.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said journalists in Gaza would not cease their coverage, adding, \u201cIsmail is not dead. Ismail lives in our hearts. His message will continue.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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