Al Jazeera reported the martyrdom of journalist Hamza, the son of colleague Wael Aldahdouh, in an Israeli airstrike targeting journalists west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Sunday. Officials from the health sector in Gaza and the Palestinian Journalists' Union announced that "two Palestinian journalists were killed while performing their duties in an Israeli air raid that targeted a car near Rafah in southern Gaza today." The martyred journalists are Hamza Aldahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya. Aldahdouh is the son of Wael Aldahdouh, a senior correspondent for Al Jazeera in Gaza, and he covered stories for the Qatari channel. Independent journalist Hazem Rajab was also injured. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the attack.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an international watchdog organization, stated that "77 journalists and media workers have been killed in the conflict as of yesterday, Saturday, including 70 Palestinians, four Israelis, and three Lebanese." The media office of the Hamas government in Gaza indicated that "the deaths of Aldahdouh and Thuraya raise the number of journalists killed in the Israeli attack to 109." A video posted on Al Jazeera's YouTube account showed Wael Aldahdouh crying next to his son's body, holding his hand. Later, after burying his son, he stated in remarks conveyed by Al Jazeera that journalists in Gaza will continue their work. He added, "After family, after Hamza, we will certainly continue, but the whole world must look at what is happening here in Gaza."
Wael Aldahdouh became particularly known to viewers across the Middle East after he learned during a live broadcast last month that his wife, another son, his daughter, and his grandchild had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Dozens of journalists have been killed in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" since October 7.
