‘No law, no norms, no fear’: Anger and sorrow as Al Jazeera journalist’s family killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
The family of an Al Jazeera correspondent was killed in Gaza on Wednesday night after an Israeli strike, which the health ministry said killed at least 25 people.
The network said the strike hit the area where journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family had fled to following an Israeli warning as it plans a Gaza ground incursion.
“Their home was targeted in the Nuseirat camp in the centre of Gaza, where they had sought refuge after being displaced by the initial bombardment in their neighborhood, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for all civilians to move south,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
The news drew a strong reaction from journalists, with some of them highlighting that it comes after reports said the US had asked the network to “tone down” its coverage of the situation in Gaza.
Trigger warning: Distressing visuals below
“Heartbreaking,” said Thomson Reuters Foundation Deputy Editor-in-Chief Barry Malone.
“Horrible for a network that has already been through so much in its relatively short history,” he said.
“This is criminal and barbaric,” said British journalist Sameh Habeeb.
Ashok Swain, a professor of peace and conflict research at Sweden’s Uppsala University, said, “There is no rule, no law, no norms, no fear, forget morals!”
Ryan Grim, the DC bureau chief at The Intercept, asked whether Israel knew that the area of the strike was a safe house for the journalist’s family.
“The number of investigations needed continues to stack up,” he said. He said that the fact that the incident comes after US State Secretary Antony Blinken’s “complaint” about Al Jazeera’s coverage was “deeply disturbing”.
Rania Zabaneh, a producer at Al Jazeera English, said, “There is no safe place in Gaza”.
“Had this happened to an Israeli journalist, the ‘civilised’ world would now be shedding tears condemning the ‘barbaric’ Palestinians,” said Qatari state minister Lolwah Alkhater.
“It’s beyond words,” said Zeba Warsi, a journalist with PBS NewsHour. She also shared the video of another journalist based in Gaza breaking down after learning that his family had been killed.
American author Max Blumenthal said the “tyrannical ethnosupremacist regime of Israel has killed the family of Al Jazeera’s Wael Dahdouh while he was on air covering its missile strikes”.
“The targeted murder comes a day after Tony Blinken demanded Qatar suppress Al Jazeera’s coverage of Gaza,” he said.
Presenter at AJ+ Dena Takruri said, “There is no safe place in Gaza. I’m so sorry Wael, our hearts are shattered.”
Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+ channels, shared a video of a news anchor on Al Jazeera being moved to tears while announcing the news of the death of Dahdouh’s family.
Dr Omar Suleiman, founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research in Texas, said, “I’m so sorry Wael. The world failed you. Israel doesn’t just murder journalists. Apparently even their wives and children are targets.”
Header image: Wael Dahdouh mourns over the body of his seven-year-old daughter, who was killed along with his wife and son in an Israeli air raid in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Wednesday night. — AFP