On July 31, 2024, Al Jazeera journalists Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. The incident occurred while they were reporting on the aftermath of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran earlier that day. According to Al Jazeera, the journalists were directly targeted by an Israeli drone while in a vehicle after filming the destruction of Haniyeh’s house in the Shati Refugee Camp.This tragic event has raised the total number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces to 165 since October 7, 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that at least 111 journalists, including 106 Palestinians, have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began last October.Al Jazeera has strongly condemned the attack, describing it as part of a ‘systematic targeting campaign’ against its journalists and their families since October 2023. The network has vowed to ‘pursue all possible legal actions’ against those responsible for the crime.The international community, including the United Nations, has called for a full investigation and accountability for the killings. The Arab Journalists Union has demanded that international media organizations and the International Court take action against the perpetrators.This incident occurs amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, following a separate Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed a top Hezbollah military commander. The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 39,400 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive against Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Key points
- Al Jazeera journalists Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on July 31, 2024.
- The journalists were reporting on the aftermath of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran.
- The total number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 7, 2023, has risen to 165, according to Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
- International organizations and the UN have called for a full investigation into the killings.
Contradictionsš¾There are discrepancies in the reported number of journalists killed.
While most sources cite 165 Palestinian journalists killed since October 7, 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports 111 journalists, including 106 Palestinians, killed in the same period.
š¾Some sources report the journalists were killed in the Shati Refugee Camp, while others state it occurred in Gaza City.
