The Israeli army confirmed today that it killed journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul in an airstrike on Gaza, claiming he was an active member of Hamas and participated in the October 7th attack on Israel.
Al Jazeera rejected what it described as “baseless claims” attempting to justify the deliberate killing of its journalists.
In a statement, the network condemned the accusations against its correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul without providing any evidence, documentation, or video footage, asserting its right to take legal action against those responsible.
The Qatari news channel announced two days ago that Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City while on assignment near the home of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, who was killed in Iran earlier the same day.
The Israeli army claimed that Al-Ghoul was a member of the unit that participated in the October 7th attack and that he was teaching Hamas militants how to record operations, implicating him in documenting and disseminating attacks on Israeli forces.
The army’s statement added: “His field activities were a vital part of Hamas’ military operations.”
Al Jazeera stated that Al-Ghoul had been with the network since November 2023, and his sole profession was journalism.
The channel clarified that Al-Ghoul had been arrested and detained at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza when Israeli occupation forces took control of it last March, before being released, which refutes Israel’s false claims of his affiliation with any organization.
The Israeli government has banned Al Jazeera from operating in Israel, accusing it of posing a threat to national security.
Al Jazeera, which has been highly critical of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, denied inciting violence.
The Government Media Office in Gaza, run by Hamas, stated that the killing of two Al Jazeera crew members brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire since October 7th to 165 journalists.
