Watan-The mother of Palestinian journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh, the correspondent for Al Jazeera in Gaza, passed away on the evening of Sunday, February 4, while she was in the besieged Gaza Strip. No details have been provided about the circumstances of her death.
This sad news comes a day after her son, Wael Al-Dahdouh, underwent a 9-hour surgical operation in a hospital in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Death of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s Mother
The death of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s mother was announced by Maha Mustafa, a member of the Dahdouh family, on her Facebook account, saying, “To Allah alone we belong and to Him we shall return. We mourn the death of Hajja Um Muhammad Al-Dahdouh, the mother of Professor Wael Al-Dahdouh and Haj Kamel Al-Dahdouh.”
While the circumstances of the mother’s death are unknown, some activists recalled previous statements made by Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh, in which he claimed, “Israel wants to deliberately target and eliminate me. Everything that has happened confirms this, as they started with the family, then the house, then the office, then targeting me and my survival, and finally targeting my son Hamza.”
وفاة والدة جبل الصبر #وائل_الدحدوح
بعد أن فقد زوجته وأولاده وأبناءهم شهداء بقصف الكيان المحتل
نسأل الله لهم الرحمة وأن يربط على قلب أبي حمزة
وائل … نموذج للصبر يجسد أهل غزة بصبرهم وثباتهم pic.twitter.com/iSpmL2z9sa— #سعوديون_مع_الاقصى (@Saudis2018) February 4, 2024
While the cause of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s mother’s death remains undisclosed, especially amid the repeated indiscriminate shelling of Gaza by the occupation forces, it is presumed to be natural due to illness and old age.
A Year of Grief for Wael Al-Dahdouh
No statement has been issued by the Dahdouh family or any Palestinian media outlet suggesting that the mother of the Al Jazeera correspondent, who is currently in Qatar for treatment, died as a result of Israeli shelling.
وفاة والدة وائل الدحدوح في غزة، هذا عام الحزن يا أبا حمزة فلتصبر ولتحتسب فإنما يوفى الصابرون أجرهم بغير حساب !!
— جهاد حلس، غزة (@Jhkhelles) February 4, 2024
This year has been one of sorrow for Wael Al-Dahdouh, who lost his wife and several children in an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli army previously targeted Dahdouh and Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, resulting in Abu Daqqa’s martyrdom and injuries to Dahdouh.
🧶🧶في ذمة الله والدة مدير مكتب قناة الجزيرة بغزة #وائل_الدحدوح ، والمقيم حاليا في قطر للعلاج، وقد فقد زوجته و3 من أبنائه و حفيده الرضيع خلال الأسابيع الماضية من الحرب على القطاع. pic.twitter.com/MMhrzdiOJU
— العَرَّاب الأخير (@donkorliony) February 4, 2024
With Qatari assistance, Dahdouh managed to leave the Gaza Strip for Doha for medical treatment, accompanied by several members of his family.