Al Jazeera journalists killed in reported Israeli airstrike in Gaza, network says

Undated photos of Al Jazeera staffers Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi. (Obtained by CNN)

Two Al Jazeera correspondents were killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza, on Wednesday, according to the news network, sparking condemnation from advocacy groups and highlighting the dangers for local reporters covering the war.

Ismail Al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami Al-Rifi, who lived in the besieged enclave, were killed in an airstrike on their car in the al Shati refugee camp, according to the Qatar-based network. The journalists, both aged 27, were reporting live for much of the day from a location close to the family home of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday.

Al-Ghoul was wearing a press flak vest when he was killed, according to his colleague. He had not seen his wife and two-year-old daughter Zeina, who were displaced in central Gaza, in 10 months. “These days are not like any other,” he said in a post on X in June. “Zeina began running, talking, asking questions… She was growing up without me seeing her.”

A third Palestinian, 16-year-old Khaled Al-Shawa, was also killed in the strike on Wednesday, according to local reporters. Footage on social media filmed in the aftermath of the attack shows his lifeless body sprawled in the street. Al-Shawa was an only child, reporters told CNN.

The teenager had been riding his orange bicycle to deliver food for an elderly resident in the local neighborhood, before he was killed, according to Saudi-backed broadcaster Al-Arabiya.

Al Jazeera condemned what it claimed was the “targeted assassination” of its journalists by Israeli forces, claiming the attack was “part of a systematic targeting campaign against the network’s journalists and their families since October 2023.”

In a statement to CNN Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Security Agency alleged Al-Ghoul was a member of Hamas’ military wing and had “participated” in the attack on Israel on October 7.

The IDF alleged that “as part of his role in the military wing, Al-Ghoul instructed other operatives on how to record operations and was actively involved in recording and publicizing attacks against IDF troops. His activities in the field were a vital part of Hamas’ military activity.”

The IDF did not allege that Al-Ghoul had a direct combat role in its statement to CNN, nor did it address the killing of his colleague Rami al Rifi in the same strike.

The Al Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and Palestine, Walid Al Omari, said Thursday the claim Al-Ghoul was a member of Hamas’ military wing was “completely false.”

Al Omari said that Israeli forces “had previously arrested (Al-Ghoul) in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza when they invaded it in mid-March. They detained him for twelve hours, then released him unconditionally.”

“If their claim were true, would they have released him? It is clear that the occupation authorities are trying to justify their crime by claiming that he was one of the elite and participated in the October 7 attack.”

The IDF has said previously that they had no record of detaining Al-Ghoul.

‘Without Ismail, the world would not have seen’

Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, said in a post on X that Al-Ghoul was “renowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world’s attention to the suffering and atrocities committed in Gaza… Without Ismail, the world would not have seen the devastating images of these massacres.”

More than nine months of Israel’s bombing campaign has shredded the besieged enclave, erased entire neighborhoods and deepened a humanitarian crisis. Palestinian reporters have become the eyes and ears of those suffering under the shadow of war. Both Israel and Egypt, which control Gaza’s borders, have so far refused to give international journalists unfettered access to the strip, saying that they cannot guarantee their safety.

It is the photos, footage and reporting from local reporters, often gathered at great personal risk, that have shown the world what is happening. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has marked the deadliest period for journalists since 1992. As of July 31, at least 113 journalists and media workers have been killed since October — 108 of whom were Palestinian — according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

A reporter in Gaza who had spent much of the day with the Al Jazeera crew told CNN on Wednesday that he was 300 meters away from the missile that hit their vehicle. Video from the scene shows the burnt-out shell of a small saloon car that appears to have been targeted from above.

“I was going home close to where we were filming when one, exactly one missile from a drone targeted Ismail and Rami,” said Ayman Abed, a resident of Al-Shati camp. “There was nothing unusual except the sound of drones in the sky humming. It was one strike on their car.”

Israel launched its military offensive after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others abducted.

Israeli strikes in Gaza have since killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and injured another 90,000, according to the Ministry of Health there.

‘Israel must stop killing journalists’

Palestinian journalists and press freedom groups paid tribute to Al-Ghoul and Al-Rifi in the wake of the attack, demanding greater accountability for those responsible for attacks on reporters in Gaza.

The CPJ asked Israel to explain the killing of both Al Jazeera staffers, in what it said, “appears to be a direct strike.” Jodie Ginsberg, the CPJ chief, added: “Journalists are civilians and should never be targeted.”

The world’s largest union for journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, also criticized the strike, in a post on X: “We are running out of words to condemn this massacre. Israel must stop killing journalists.”

Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, recalled his friendship with the Al Jazeera journalist. “It’s a difficult and painful feeling to cover this horrific story; he’s my friend and colleague, and we’re together in the field most of the time during this war,” he said.

CNN video filmed in the aftermath of the attack on Wednesday showed dozens of Palestinians gathered outside the nearby Al-Ahli Baptist the Hospital in Gaza City, as they mourned the loss of Al-Ghoul and his colleague. Al Jazeera reporters Yousef Al Saudi and Anas Al Sharif could be seen breaking down as they held Al-Ghoul’s bloodied flak jacket.

“Our colleague Ismail was wearing this blood-stained vest,” fellow Al Jazeera journalist Yousef Al Saudi said, as he removed the “PRESS” sign from the jacket. “The sign was covered by blood to silence the world and the images in Gaza. The pictures continue and the coverage continues, God willing.”

Choking back tears, Al Sharif said: “Dear Ismail, we will complete the mission after you.”

Another video shows journalist Wadi Shehandeh addressing a crowd, saying: “By targeting us as media professionals, they want this coverage to stop, and to silence us. But no, by God, if only one of the media professionals remained in northern Gaza, they will continue to share the images.”

He said journalists in Gaza would not cease their coverage, adding, “Ismail is not dead. Ismail lives in our hearts. His message will continue.”