Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera this week condemned a strike that killed two of its journalists reporting in Gaza Correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and camera
Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera this week condemned a strike that killed two of its journalists reporting in Gaza.
Correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed on Wednesday while reporting in Gaza on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, in Iran earlier that day.
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The journalists were in their car when it was hit in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. One of their colleagues, Anas al-Sharif, was reporting from a hospital in Gaza for Al Jazeera when the journalists’ bodies were brought in, Reuters reported.
In a statement shared with VOA, Al Jazeera described the attack as a ‘cold-blooded assassination’ by Israeli forces and called for immediate legal action.
‘This latest attack on Al Jazeera journalists is part of a systematic targeting campaign against the network’s journalists and their families since October 2023’, said the statement.
Israel, in a joint Israel Defense Forces and Israel Securities Authorities statement posted to X, said a joint operation ‘struck and eliminated’ a Hamas operative who took part in the October 7 Hamas terror attack.
The statement said al-Ghoul was involved in the Hamas military wing and ‘actively involved in recording and publicizing attacks against IDF troops.’
Jazeera’s statement to VOA highlighted al-Ghoul’s coverage of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital and northern neighborhoods.
Despite hardships, including the loss of family members and health struggles, al-Ghoul remained committed to his work, documenting the realities of life in Gaza, the statement said.