The son of Al-Jazeera’s Bureau Chief Wael al-Dahdouh, Hamza, was killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike. Hamza, who also worked as a journalist for the Arabic news outlet, was killed alongside his colleague Mustafa Thuraya as the two were driving between Khan Younis and Rafah.
News of Hamza and Thuraya’s deaths was shared widely on social media. Iranian American journalist Yashar Ali tweeted, “Wael Al-Dahdouh, the bureau chief for Al-Jazeera in Gaza, has now lost his fifth immediate family member, and third child, to an Israeli air strike. His wife, grandson, and two other children were killed in late October, in addition to eight other family members, in an Israeli air strike. He says goodbye to his eldest son Hamza in this video.”
Hamza and Thuraya were driving with journalists Hazem Rajab, Ahmed al-Bursh and photojournalist Amer Abu Amr when the car they were traveling in was hit. Rajam was also wounded in the strike.
Wael’s wife Amna, 7-year-old daughter Sham, 15-year-old son Mahmoud and infant grandson Adam were killed in Israeli air strikes in October. The family had taken refuge in the Nuseirat refugee camp when it was hit by the strike. Wael was reporting live on the air when he received the news.
The New York Times reported that Wael told Al-Jazeera after Hamza’s death, “Nothing is harder than the pain of loss. And when you experience this pain time after time, it becomes harder and more severe.”
“I wish that the blood of my son Hamza will be the last from journalists and the last from people here in Gaza, and for this massacre to stop,” he added.
Photographer Motaz Azaiza also mourned the deaths. He wrote on Instagram, “Just now I lost two more of my colleagues and friends in an Israeli air strike. @hamza_w_dahooh @mustafa_s_thraya Rest In Peace Habaibi.”
Hamza penned a tribute to his father the day before he died. On Saturday, he captioned a photo on Instagram of Wael, “You are the patient and the one who seeks reward, my father, so do not despair of recovery and do not despair of God’s mercy, and be certain that God will reward you well for being patient.”
The number of deaths of journalists at the hands of Israel has come under scrutiny throughout the war. To date, at least 79 journalists and media workers have died since the war began on Oct. 7. At least 23,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, as well as 1,200 Israelis.
On Oct. 27, Israel’s military told international news organizations that it could not ensure the safety of reporters assigned to cover the war in Gaza.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has previously insisted that journalist deaths in the region are part of a troubling pattern that goes back to at least 2001. While observing the first anniversary of the death of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, committee member Robert Mahoney told NPR that “the whole system of investigation, which the Israeli armed forces have set up, is actually designed to evade responsibility and to protect its soldiers from prosecution.”
“When the authorities do open any kind of probe, it takes a long time,” he added. “Evidence can get lost. Witnesses can forget their testimony. So no one is being held to account.”
When asked about the response of the Israeli military to journalist deaths, Mahoney explained, “The Israeli authorities say they do not deliberately target civilians, and they respect press freedom. And what we think is, if that’s the case, then they should open investigations into the killings of these journalists, who, let’s remember, are civilians and should be given the protections afforded to civilians in a time of conflict.”
