The killings of journalists Hamza Al Dahdouh, who is the son of Al-Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Al Dahdouh, and freelancer Mustafa Thuraya must be investigated to determine whether they were targeted, CPJ urged on Sunday.
“The killings of journalists Hamza Al Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya must be independently investigated, and those behind their deaths must be held accountable. The continuous killings of journalists and their family members by Israeli army fire must end: journalists are civilians, not targets,” said CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour.
Wael Al Dahdouh has lost five family members in Israeli attacks. On October 25, an airstrike killed his wife, daughter, son and grandson when it hit the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a statement from Al-Jazeera and Politico.
Hamza Al Dahdouh was a journalist and camera operator for Al-Jazeera. He was killed along with Thuraya, a freelance videographer who worked with AFP, according to multiple news reports. At least one other man was injured in the strike, which occurred outside of Khan Yunis, according to news reports.
CPJ has repeatedly expressed concern at the apparent targeting of journalists reporting on the war. “Israel says it does not target journalists. It needs to explain whether it used one of its drones for a precision attack on these two journalists and why it launched strikes on those like Reuters’ Issam Abdallah, who was clearly wearing press insignia and away from direct fighting,” said Mansour.
The Israel Defense Forces told The Times of Israel that Al Dahdouh and Thuraya were traveling in the car with “a terrorist who operated an aircraft in a way that put IDF forces at risk.”
The Israel-Gaza war has taken an unprecedented toll on the media community. Dozens of journalists and their family members have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war since the start of fighting on October 7.
