Israeli Force Kills Al Jazeera Cameraman in Gaza, Labels Him Hamas Operative
Israeli strikes in Gaza on Saturday killed at least six people, including two children and an Al Jazeera cameraman, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military said the cameraman was a member of Hamas's armed wing and was targeted in a precise strike.
The first attack hit an apartment in Gaza City around 2 a.m., killing two sisters, 4-year-old Zina and 14-year-old Lana, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Their cousin, Mohammad Safadi, told reporters the family received no warning. “This ceasefire the occupation and the negotiation team speak of … is this really a ceasefire? We are civilians. I never held a weapon,” Safadi said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
In the evening, three more strikes killed four people and wounded at least a dozen. One hit a house in the Bureij refugee camp, killing three, including Ahmed Wishah, an Al Jazeera cameraman. His brother Mohamed, also an Al Jazeera correspondent, was killed in an Israeli strike in April. Another strike in the Muwasi tent camp killed one and wounded eight, and a third in Gaza City wounded four, according to local hospitals.
The Israeli military stated it killed Wishah in a “precise strike,” asserting he was a member of Hamas's military wing and posed a threat to troops. Since the ceasefire began in October, Israeli forces have continued near-daily operations, killing over 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed over 73,000 Palestinians, the Health Ministry reports. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, is staffed by medical professionals and its data is considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says women and children account for about half the deaths.
