An Israeli Strike On Gaza Killed a Journalist’s Wife, Children, And His 3rd Son

(CTN News) – In an Israeli strike in October, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh lost his wife, two children, and nine other members of his family.

Today, he said his last goodbyes to his eldest son. In Rafah, Hamza, like his father, was killed when the car he was in with another journalist was struck by a vehicle. In addition to Mustafa Thuria (a video stringer), another journalist was killed in the missile strike.

Al Jazeera reported the vehicle was struck near al-Mawasi, a “safe area”.

Mr Dahdouh, dejected, told Al Jazeera from the cemetery where his son was buried, “Hamza was everything to me, the eldest boy. He was my soul.”.

According to him, “I hope my son Hamza’s blood will be the last to flow from Gaza Strip journalists and civilians.”

Images posted on social media showed Hamza’s wife and siblings running to the cemetery last before he was buried. In an attempt to comfort the rest of his family, Wael Dahdouh stood by his deceased father’s head. While fighting back tears, he kissed his son’s hand in a second video.

Al Jazeera condemns the killing and targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. ‘Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of Palestinian journalists’ cars,’ the company said in a statement, accusing Israel of violating freedom of the press.

In October, as he was covering Israel’s war on Gaza, Mr Dahdouh learned a number of his family members were killed in the same bombing he was covering.

Thousands watched him rush to the hospital to see the bodies of his loved ones. An image of him mourning the bodies of his wife and children in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah hospital showed him grieving.

Following Israel’s warning for residents to move south as its forces intensified strikes against Hamas, his family stayed in a temporary home in a “safe area”.

The health ministry in Hamas-run territory reported 113 deaths in the past 24 hours due to Israeli bombardments.

About 1,140 people were killed in a Hamas attack on Israel in October last year, most of them civilians. Hamas’ operations also resulted in the capture of 250 hostages, of whom 132 remain captive. The death toll is believed to be at least 24.

At least 22,835 people have been killed in Israel’s relentless bombardment and invasion, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

As a result, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a cabinet meeting that “what happened on October 7 will never happen again.”

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