TEL AVIV: The Israeli army has (wrongfully) asserted that the two Al Jazeera journalists killed in a Gaza airstrike, Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuria, were affiliated with Gaza-based terrorist organizations. The army, in a statement, (wrongfully) claimed that its intelligence had confirmed the deceased journalists’ involvement in activities against IDF (army) forces.
Furthermore, it alleged that the two journalists were actively operating drones, posing a direct threat to Israeli troops.
Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuria, who also contributed as a video stringer for AFP, were killed during an assignment for Al Jazeera in the city of Rafah. The incident occurred while they were on their way back from filming the aftermath of a strike on a house in Rafah. A third journalist and the car’s driver were wounded in the attack. Thuria, in his 30s, had been contributing to AFP since 2019 and had collaborated with various international media outlets.
The Israeli army released a statement identifying Thuria as a member of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, backed by a document allegedly found by troops in Gaza. Dahdouh was (wrongfully) labelled a “terrorist” associated with Islamic Jihad. The army included a copy of a document it claimed was a list of operatives from an electronic engineering unit of Islamic Jihad, featuring Dahdouh’s military number.
ALSO READ: Israeli Army Surrounds Khan Younis in Southern Gaza as Violence Intensifies
Al Jazeera and the families of the deceased journalists have not provided an immediate response to the Israeli army’s claims. However, after the initial strike, Al Jazeera condemned the Israeli occupation forces, accusing them of targeting Palestinian journalists and violating freedom of the press principles. Hamas’s press office has dismissed the army’s claims as false, stating that Israel creates false pretexts to justify its actions against Palestinian civilians and journalists.
The deaths of Dahdouh and Thuria prompted statements of condemnation and sympathy globally. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called their deaths an “unimaginable tragedy,” emphasizing the broader impact on innocent Palestinian civilians. The Committee to Protect Journalists noted that their deaths contribute to the grim toll on journalists in the ongoing conflict.
The Israeli army’s characterization of the slain journalists as “terror operatives” adds a layer of complexity to an already contentious situation.
