On January 7, journalist Hamza Dahdouh, who was the eldest son of Palestaini journalist and Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, was killed in an Israeli air strike in the western part of Khan Younis, Gaza. In this attack, another journalist, who has been recognised as Mustafa Thuraya by Al Jazeera, was also killed. In this missile attack, two more journalists have been seriously injured.
Details of the incident:
Image Credit: Associated Press
This Sunday, Palestaini journalist Hamza Dahdouh was killed along with another journalist in an Israeli airstrike. In this attack, two more journalists have been seriously wounded, according to the authorities in Gaza. It has been reported that they were in a vehicle that was travelling near al-Mawasi, a supposedly safe area towards the southwest, to interview civilians displaced by previous bombings.
The official Palestinian news agency ‘Wafa’ has reported that an Israeli drone strike hit the car Hamza al-Dahdouh was travelling in with other fellow journalists to the west of the southern city of Khan Younis. In this attack, another journalist, Mustafa Thuraya, was killed, while Ahmed Al-Burash and Amer Abu Amr were gravely injured.
The photos that were released after the attack showed a burned-out sedan that was missing its windscreen and also most of its roof and hood. A video circulating online that had apparently been taken shortly after Sunday’s airstrike showed a crowd gathering around the burned car. Someone can be seen throwing a blanket over a body in the driver’s seat, while others can be seen carrying a person from the passenger side.
Hamza’s family broke down after the news of his demise:
Image Source: Al Jazeera
As news of Hamza’s killing spread, his whole family rushed to the cemetery for one last look before he was buried. His father, Wael Dahdouh, stood by his son’s body with great strength and tried to console the rest of his family. Hamza’s wife and his siblings were not able to control their grief and broke down in the arms of Wael.
Al Jazeera wrote that Wael’s strength in these times has made him much more than just Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief. His family members, consisting of his wife, another son, a 7-year-old daughter, and his grandson, have all been previously killed in an air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza in late October. He was reporting live from the grounds when he found out about this tragic news. The very last month, Wael al-Dahdouh was himself injured in a drone strike while reporting, which killed the camera operator he was working with.
On Saturday, hours before his death, Hamza posted a photo of his father. In the caption, he wrote, “Do not despair of recovery, do not despair of God’s mercy, and be certain that God will reward you well for being patient.” To this, his father responded with a comment on his post: “May God protect you.”
After the news of his son’s death, Wael al-Dahdouh told Al Jazeera that nothing is more hard than the pain of loss, and it becomes more severe when you have to experience that pain time after time. With a heavy heart, he added that he wishes that the blood of his son Hamza would be the last from journalists and the last from people here in Gaza, and he wished for this ongoing massacre to stop.
As per the January 7, 2024, report of the ‘Committee to Protect Journalists’, at least 79 journalists and media workers have been killed among the 23,000 people killed since the war that began after the October 7 killings.
