2 Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli attack in Gaza
Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifee have been killed in an attack on the Gaza Strip.
Before the latest deadly attack, Israel’s war on Gaza was already considered the deadliest conflict for journalists and media workers in the world.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, has put the number of media workers killed as of July 5 at 108 since the war began, making it the deadliest period since the group began gathering data in 1992.
Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifee
‘Words can’t describe what happened’
Journalist Anas al-Sharif, reporting from Gaza, was at the hospital where the bodies of Al Jazeera journalists Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi were brought.
“Ismail was conveying the suffering of the displaced Palestinians and the suffering of the wounded and the massacres committed by the [Israeli] occupation against the innocent people in Gaza,” he said.
“But the Israeli occupation perhaps does not want the image to come out and does not want the word to go out and does not want Al Jazeera to continue conveying the image and what happened. It is either by targeting them directly or targeting their families or the places of coverage. The feeling – no words can describe what happened.”
Al Jazeera’s managing editor mourns loss of journalist in Gaza
Mohamed Moawad has posted on X in remembrance of Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera journalist who was killed today in an Israeli strike on Gaza City, in the northern Strip.
“Ismail was renowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world’s attention to the suffering and atrocities committed in Gaza, especially in Al-Shifa Hospital and the northern neighborhoods. Without Ismail, the world would not have seen the devastating images of these massacres”, Moawad wrote.
“Ismail was a determined journalist who refused to succumb to hunger, illness, and the loss of his brother. He relentlessly covered the events and delivered the reality of Gaza to the world through Al Jazeera”, he added.
“Ismail fulfilled his mission to his people and his homeland. Shame on those who have failed the civilians, journalists, and humanity.”
It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of our colleague journalist, Ismail Al-Ghoul, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike while courageously covering the events in northern Gaza. Ismail was renowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world’s attention… pic.twitter.com/g9YInFpuz8
— Mohamed Moawad (@moawady) July 31, 2024
‘It’s heartbreaking to report’ the killings of Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi
We do everything [to stay safe]. We wear our press jackets. We wear our helmets. We try not to go anywhere that is not safe. We try to go to places where we can maintain our security.
But we have been targeted in normal places where normal citizens are. We’re trying to do everything, but at the same time, we want to report, we want to tell the world what’s going on.
It’s heartbreaking to report this today. And was heartbreaking to report [Al Jazeera journalists] Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing, Hamza Dahdouh’s killing and Samer Abu Daqqa’s killing. This is not the first time we are doing this, but every time it feels as if it’s the first time. It’s a great loss for journalists here in Gaza, especially Al Jazeera’s team, losing such a colleague.
