The Israeli occupation forces targeted a car carrying a group of journalists, including Hamza Wael al-Duhduh and Mustafa Thraya, in Khan Yunis. This occurred while they were working as part of Al Jazeera’s team in that area, where civilians had evacuated due to Israeli airstrikes in various parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli airstrikes led to the martyrdom of Hamza and his colleague Mustafa.
With the martyrdom of Hamza and Mustafa Thraya, the number of journalist martyrs has risen to 109 since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera condemns the Israeli crime
Al Jazeera network had condemned the assassination of the journalist colleagues Hamza al-Duhduh, the son of Al Jazeera correspondent Wael al-Duhduh, and Mustafa Thraya. Journalist Hazem Ragab was severely injured in an Israeli airstrike north of Rafah in southern Gaza.
In a statement, Al Jazeera emphasized that the assassination of colleagues Mustafa and Hamza, who were on their way to perform their duties in the region, once again underscores the urgent need to take all immediate and necessary legal measures against the occupying forces to ensure they do not escape punishment.
The network added that the Israeli forces deliberately targeted journalist Wael al-Duhduh and his family in a systematic manner. His family was targeted, resulting in the martyrdom of his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in November 2023. Wael and his colleague, the martyr photographer Samer Abu Daqqa, were also targeted in December 2023.
Al Jazeera pointed out that the assassination of Hamza, Wael’s son, in January 2024, unequivocally confirms the determination of the Israeli forces to continue these brutal attacks against journalists and their families, aiming to deter them from performing their duties. This violates the principles of press freedom and undermines the right to life.