The media office expressed deep condemnation for Israeli occupation army’s heinous crime against journalists, denouncing the killings in the strongest terms. It accused Israel of attempting to intimidate journalists, aiming to obscure the truth and hinder media coverage.
It also demanded “the occupation to stop the genocidal war against our defenseless people in the Gaza Strip”.
Hamza Dahdouh, son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, has been killed in an Israeli air strike west of Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip.
He died when a missile directly hit the vehicle he was travelling in. Hamza Dahdouh, 27, a photojournalist, and colleague Mustafa Thuraya were in the car at the time it was targeted. Thuraya also died.
Wael Dahdouh, 52, lost his wife, daughter, grandson and 15-year-old son in October in an Israeli air raid that hit the house they were sheltering in.
Highlighting the tragic incident involving Hamza Dahdouh, who was documenting the aftermath of an airstrike, the Gaza media office described the targeted airstrike that hit a residential zone near Khan Younis and Rafah. It emphasized the extensive damage caused by these airstrikes, not only to the targeted structures but also to the surrounding areas, documenting the impact on displaced individuals and those trapped under rubble.
Al-Monitor's columnist, Daoud Kuttab, speaking from Jordan's capital, Amman, stressed the reprehensible nature of the killings of journalists Hamza Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya. Kuttab called for a universal denouncement of these actions, urging the journalism sector to demand an investigation into Israel's actions and the opening of borders for international journalists. He lamented the restrictions preventing international journalists from entering Gaza and accused Israel of targeting Palestinian journalists, citing this as a violation of international law and a war crime.
“The Israelis have been blackmailing the Egyptians to not allow any international journalists to enter,” Kuttab said, adding, “So, the only source of information has been Palestinian journalists and the Israelis have been killing them one after the other. Killing the journalists, killing the families of journalists, this is unacceptable. This is a violation of international law. Going after civilians is a war crime.”