Al Jazeera TV Channel reported that one of their photographers, Samer Abu Daqqa, was killed in a drone strike while covering a previous bombing at a school used as a shelter for displaced people in southern Gaza Strip. The incident occurred last Friday, and Al Jazeera clarified that Abu Daqqa could not find safe shelter or receive medical care after being injured in the strike at Farhana school in Khan Younis, leading to his death before ambulances could access the area.
The network added that Israeli drones launched rockets at the school, though Reuters could not independently verify these details. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.
In a statement, Al Jazeera mentioned that their photographer “bled for more than 5 hours after being injured,” and added that Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying him the urgent medical treatment he needed. Journalists were covering from the city in southern Gaza Strip, which had become the center of the recent Israeli ground attack.
The Civil Defense Administration of Gaza’s Ministry of Interior stated that three Gaza rescue workers were also killed in the strike on the school.
Al Jazeera’s senior correspondent Wael Dahdouh was injured in the hand during the attack but managed to reach a nearby hospital for treatment. Dahdouh, a reporter in Gaza, is particularly known to viewers across the Middle East after reporting last month during a live broadcast the death of his wife, son, daughter, and grandchild in what the network described as an Israeli airstrike.
In response to a question about the killing of Samer Abu Daqqa, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, “We don’t have any indications so far that the Israelis are intentionally targeting journalists covering this war.”
The recent conflict in the Gaza Strip has been particularly dangerous for journalists, with several reported casualties among media personnel.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has highlighted the extreme dangers faced by journalists in Gaza, stating that the region has become the world’s deadliest place for journalists in 2023. In the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, at least 13 journalists have been actively killed while covering the war. The total number of journalists killed in Gaza, irrespective of their line of work, was reported to be 56 by RSF. This high casualty rate among journalists is unprecedented, with RSF filing a complaint at the International Criminal Court for “war crimes” over the deaths of journalists in the conflict
