Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israel while reporting on Haniyeh death in Gaza

Two journalists were killed in an air strike out the house of Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza, while they were reporting on the Hamas leader’s death in Iran.

Ismail al-Ghoul, a journalist for Al Jazeera Arabic, and his cameraman Rami al-Refee were killed in the Israeli strike near the Aidia area west of Gaza City.

Al Jazeera Arabic’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, confirmed the deaths on social media.

“Without Ismail, the world would not have seen the devastating images of these massacres,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) adding that he “relentlessly covered the events and delivered the reality of Gaza to the world through Al Jazeera.”

“His voice has now been silenced, and there is no longer a need to call out to the world. Ismail fulfilled his mission to his people and his homeland. Shame on those who have failed the civilians, journalists, and humanity.”

Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Wednesday, just hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony for the Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

This killing was the second high-profile Israeli assassination within hours, following a strike in Beirut that reportedly killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, heightening fears that the region was sliding towards a full-blown war.

Israel has killed more than 160 journalists  in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, according to the Palestinian government officials.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said the war in Gaza was “the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992”.

Over 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s was on Gaza started, according to the enclave’s health ministry.