Journalist killed in Israeli airstrike - Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that two journalists were killed and another seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip. The newspaper reported that one of the journalists, Hamza Dahdouh, is the eldest son of Gaza chief Wael Dahdouh, who has lost several family members in previous Israeli attacks. At least 68 journalists have been killed since clashes between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.

According to Al Jazeera, the slain journalists had planned to interview Palestinian civilians who had previously fled Israeli bombing. Mustafa Turia, an AFP video editor who worked with Dahdouh at the Qatari news agency, was killed in the airstrike. A third journalist in the car survived the attack, Al Jazeera reported. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned in December that journalists were being killed at unprecedented rates in Gaza. Non-governmental organizations noted that the overwhelming majority of victims were Palestinians. According to CPJ, "[Israel] has a clear pattern of targeting journalists and their families." Israeli security forces also detained 20 journalists and three disappeared, the report said.

In a statement on Sunday, Al Jazeera called on the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, governments, and human rights groups to "hold Israel accountable for its heinous crimes" and stop the "targeting and killing of journalists".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later told The Times of Israel on Sunday that the two slain journalists were traveling in a car with the terrorist who was controlling the drone. Last month, the Israeli military claimed it had "never intentionally targeted journalists and will not do so in the future."

Al Jazeera's director in Gaza said he lost his wife, daughter, another son, and a grandson in Israeli airstrikes in late October. Dahdouh himself was attacked by Israel in December, and the cameraman later died of his injuries. About 23,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of months of heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground operations, according to local health officials. The situation worsened when Hamas launched a surprise invasion of Israeli territory on October 7, killing 1,200 people. In addition, approximately 240 people have been kidnapped and 132 are still being held.