Tragic Loss Strikes Al Jazeera Journalist as Another Son Passes Away

Wael al-Dahdouh, the Gaza bureau chief for Al Jazeera, has suffered yet another devastating loss. In October, he tragically lost his wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son in an Israeli airstrike. Now, he has lost his 27-year-old son, also a journalist at Al Jazeera, in another airstrike over the weekend. The son, named al-Dahdouh, was killed while returning from an assignment in a car with his colleague Mustafa Thuraya. Another freelancer, Hazem Rajab, who was with them, was injured. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they targeted the vehicle, claiming it posed a threat to IDF troops. This marks the fourth immediate family member that Wael al-Dahdouh has lost, not including his grandchild and eight other relatives who were killed in the October airstrike.

Despite the immense pain he has endured, al-Dahdouh remains determined to continue reporting. In an interview with an NBC News crew in Gaza, he stated, “In the end, this does not change anything of reality, and will not change any of our decisions. We are going to proceed as long as we are alive and breathing. As long as we are able to do this duty and deliver this message.”

The death of al-Dahdouh’s son adds to the rising number of journalist casualties in the ongoing conflict. Since the war began, 79 journalists have been killed, including 72 Palestinians, four Israelis, and three Lebanese. This makes it the deadliest period for media workers since the Committee to Protect Journalists started tracking journalist deaths in 1992.

There is growing concern among organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders that journalists are being deliberately targeted by the Israeli military. Sherif Mansour, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator, called for an independent investigation into the killings of journalists Hamza Al Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, stating, “Journalists are civilians, not targets.”

Approximately 1,000 journalists are currently working in Gaza, and the International Federation of Journalists reports that around 14 out of every 200 journalists have been killed. Reporters Without Borders has successfully included crimes against journalists in the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the situation in Palestine.

The Israeli military denies intentionally targeting journalists but acknowledges the unfortunate deaths. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated, “Every journalist that dies, it’s unfortunate.” He also claimed that Hamas uses drones to gather intelligence on Israeli forces, implying that the two killed journalists may have been mistaken for terrorists.

Al Jazeera’s managing editor Mohamed Moawad countered this claim, affirming that the journalists were not using a drone at the time of the airstrike. The loss of these journalists highlights the need for the protection of journalists in conflict zones and the impartial investigation of such incidents.