WHERE ISRAEL TOLD EVERYONE TO GO TO BE SAFE
Abeer Salmam, Kareem Khadder and Lucas Lilieholm, CNN
Sat, December 16, 2023 at 3:59 AM MST·5 min read
An Al Jazeera journalist has died after being badly injured during an Israeli attack in southern Gaza and then forced to wait five hours for medical attention, the network said on Friday.
Camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa died of wounds sustained in the attack, the Qatar-based network said, adding that he was bleeding for hours before medical personnel could reach him due to heavy shelling in the city.
Hundreds gathered in southern Gaza to mourn Abu Daqqa on Saturday as his body was laid to rest on Saturday, with his mother Umm Maher, sobbing as she knelt down to pray over her son’s grave.
Al Jazeera correspondent and Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh was also injured in the attack, the Qatar-based news network said in a statement to CNN on Friday.
Dahdouh was eventually evacuated to a hospital, but Abu Daqqa’s injury was too severe to survive, according to Walid Alomari, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief for Jerusalem and the West Bank. “Too many in Gaza bleed and die because ambulances can’t reach them,” he said.
The network went on to accuse Israel of “systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families.”
A statement called on the international community to take “immediate action to hold the Israeli government and military accountable.”
CNN cannot independently verify the allegations. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment but has not immediately heard back.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) data, Abu Daqqa is the first Al Jazeera journalist to have been killed in the latest Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7.
Four other Al Jazeera journalists were injured, CPJ says, including three in southern Lebanon and Dahdouh, who had also lost his wife, daughter, son and grandson in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis late October.
Under fire
Abu Daqqa and Dahdouh were on assignment in the southern city of Khan Younis when they came under fire.
Dahdouh later recounted the moments leading up to the incident. He said it took place when they were heading back to an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense after they were done filming in an area of Khan Younis that was hard to reach.
“Suddenly, something happened, a big thing, I couldn’t tell what it was, I only felt something big happened and pushed me to the ground, the helmet fell and the microphone,” Dahdouh told Al Jazeera while on a hospital bed before being informed his colleague had lost his life.
“I saw there was an intense bleeding from my shoulder and arm, and I realized if I stayed, I will be bleeding there in that location, and no one will reach me,” he added.
Dahdouh said he was able to reach Civil Defense staff hundreds of meters away but was unable to help Abu Daqqa, fearing they would be targetted.
Al Jazeera said on air that Abu Daqqa was bleeding for five hours and no-one could reach to him due to the situation around him.
At least 17 others were killed and dozens of others were injured early Friday morning after artillery fire struck the city’s Haifa school and a residential home in the area.
Three civil defense workers in Gaza whose rescue efforts at the school were being covered by the al Jazeera team were also killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on its military operations in the area.
On Saturday, the body of Abu Daqqa, wrapped in a white cloth, was carried on the shoulders of the assembled crowd from Al-Nasser Medical complex in Khan Younis to a nearby cemetery. On his chest were the press vest and helmet he had been wearing when he was wounded.
Mourners gather around the body of Al Jazeera cameraman Abu Daqqa on Saturday. - Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
Friends and relatives attended the funeral. - Bassam Masoud/Reuters
The funeral was attended by friends, family and colleagues, many of them wearing their press vests. Abu Daqqa’s wife and children live in Belgium.
Khan Younis has been heavily bombarded by the Israeli military since a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel broke down on 1 December.
As of December 15, preliminary investigations by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found at least 64 journalists and media workers were among the thousands killed in Gaza since Israel’s siege began on October 7, following Hamas’ deadly terror attacks.
The majority of journalists killed in this war have been Palestinians, alongside four Israeli and three Lebanese members of the press, according to CPJ. Thirteen journalists have also been reported injured, 13 are missing, and 19 have reportedly been arrested, the organization said.
CPJ said Friday it was alarmed by the drone strike that killed Abu Daqqa and wounded Dahdouh and called on “international authorities to independently investigate the attack and hold those responsible to account.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera, CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg reiterated a call for the protection of journalists and emphasized the importance of their work in Gaza, which she called an “unprecedented” challenge.
“We’re really only left with Gaza journalists doing this really important documentation work,” she said.
Abu Daqqa’s colleagues have been paying tribute to his bravery following his death, with Al Jazeera investigative reporter Tamer Al-Mishal describing him as “professional” and “a great cameraman and editor [who] doesn’t fear anything.”
“I spoke to him a few days ago and told him ‘Why don’t you join your family abroad?’ And he told me they will be back soon when this war is over,” Al-Mishal said.
Abu Daqqa had decided not to leave Gaza, Al-Mishal added, noting that the cameraman had worked for more than 20 years for Al Jazeera.
Hiba Akila, another colleague of Abu Daqqa, remembered him as a cheerful co-worker.
“Samer was not only an optimistic, joyful person who loved life, but he was also a journalist who upholds his journalistic mission, always giving us a boost whenever we felt pain and desperation,” said the Al Jazeera correspondent in a broken voice as she reported live from Rafah on Friday night.
“When we were supporting and comforting Samer that soon he will meet his family, he would say, ‘I will not go to them, they will come here, and we will be together in Gaza,’” she added.
Al Jazeera Journalist Bleeds To Death After Israeli Strike In Gaza, Outlet Says
Lydia O'Connor
Fri, December 15, 2023
The news outlet Al Jazeera said Friday that one of its camera operators, Samer Abudaqa, was killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza and left for hours bleeding to death.
Abudaqa was reporting with his colleague Wael Dahdouh at a school turned shelter in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, on Friday when they were hit by the strike. Dahdouh is being treated for minor injuries from shrapnel.
In a statement, the Qatar-based network said it condemns the attack “in the strongest terms” and “holds Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families.”
The network described a brutal end to Abudaqa’s life.
Abeer Salmam, Kareem Khadder and Lucas Lilieholm, CNN
Sat, December 16, 2023 at 3:59 AM MST·5 min read
An Al Jazeera journalist has died after being badly injured during an Israeli attack in southern Gaza and then forced to wait five hours for medical attention, the network said on Friday.
Camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa died of wounds sustained in the attack, the Qatar-based network said, adding that he was bleeding for hours before medical personnel could reach him due to heavy shelling in the city.
Hundreds gathered in southern Gaza to mourn Abu Daqqa on Saturday as his body was laid to rest on Saturday, with his mother Umm Maher, sobbing as she knelt down to pray over her son’s grave.
Al Jazeera correspondent and Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh was also injured in the attack, the Qatar-based news network said in a statement to CNN on Friday.
Dahdouh was eventually evacuated to a hospital, but Abu Daqqa’s injury was too severe to survive, according to Walid Alomari, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief for Jerusalem and the West Bank. “Too many in Gaza bleed and die because ambulances can’t reach them,” he said.
The network went on to accuse Israel of “systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families.”
A statement called on the international community to take “immediate action to hold the Israeli government and military accountable.”
CNN cannot independently verify the allegations. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment but has not immediately heard back.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) data, Abu Daqqa is the first Al Jazeera journalist to have been killed in the latest Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7.
Four other Al Jazeera journalists were injured, CPJ says, including three in southern Lebanon and Dahdouh, who had also lost his wife, daughter, son and grandson in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis late October.
Under fire
Abu Daqqa and Dahdouh were on assignment in the southern city of Khan Younis when they came under fire.
Dahdouh later recounted the moments leading up to the incident. He said it took place when they were heading back to an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense after they were done filming in an area of Khan Younis that was hard to reach.
“Suddenly, something happened, a big thing, I couldn’t tell what it was, I only felt something big happened and pushed me to the ground, the helmet fell and the microphone,” Dahdouh told Al Jazeera while on a hospital bed before being informed his colleague had lost his life.
“I saw there was an intense bleeding from my shoulder and arm, and I realized if I stayed, I will be bleeding there in that location, and no one will reach me,” he added.
Dahdouh said he was able to reach Civil Defense staff hundreds of meters away but was unable to help Abu Daqqa, fearing they would be targetted.
Al Jazeera said on air that Abu Daqqa was bleeding for five hours and no-one could reach to him due to the situation around him.
At least 17 others were killed and dozens of others were injured early Friday morning after artillery fire struck the city’s Haifa school and a residential home in the area.
Three civil defense workers in Gaza whose rescue efforts at the school were being covered by the al Jazeera team were also killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on its military operations in the area.
On Saturday, the body of Abu Daqqa, wrapped in a white cloth, was carried on the shoulders of the assembled crowd from Al-Nasser Medical complex in Khan Younis to a nearby cemetery. On his chest were the press vest and helmet he had been wearing when he was wounded.
Mourners gather around the body of Al Jazeera cameraman Abu Daqqa on Saturday. - Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
Friends and relatives attended the funeral. - Bassam Masoud/Reuters
The funeral was attended by friends, family and colleagues, many of them wearing their press vests. Abu Daqqa’s wife and children live in Belgium.
Khan Younis has been heavily bombarded by the Israeli military since a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel broke down on 1 December.
As of December 15, preliminary investigations by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found at least 64 journalists and media workers were among the thousands killed in Gaza since Israel’s siege began on October 7, following Hamas’ deadly terror attacks.
The majority of journalists killed in this war have been Palestinians, alongside four Israeli and three Lebanese members of the press, according to CPJ. Thirteen journalists have also been reported injured, 13 are missing, and 19 have reportedly been arrested, the organization said.
CPJ said Friday it was alarmed by the drone strike that killed Abu Daqqa and wounded Dahdouh and called on “international authorities to independently investigate the attack and hold those responsible to account.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera, CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg reiterated a call for the protection of journalists and emphasized the importance of their work in Gaza, which she called an “unprecedented” challenge.
“We’re really only left with Gaza journalists doing this really important documentation work,” she said.
Abu Daqqa’s colleagues have been paying tribute to his bravery following his death, with Al Jazeera investigative reporter Tamer Al-Mishal describing him as “professional” and “a great cameraman and editor [who] doesn’t fear anything.”
“I spoke to him a few days ago and told him ‘Why don’t you join your family abroad?’ And he told me they will be back soon when this war is over,” Al-Mishal said.
Abu Daqqa had decided not to leave Gaza, Al-Mishal added, noting that the cameraman had worked for more than 20 years for Al Jazeera.
Hiba Akila, another colleague of Abu Daqqa, remembered him as a cheerful co-worker.
“Samer was not only an optimistic, joyful person who loved life, but he was also a journalist who upholds his journalistic mission, always giving us a boost whenever we felt pain and desperation,” said the Al Jazeera correspondent in a broken voice as she reported live from Rafah on Friday night.
“When we were supporting and comforting Samer that soon he will meet his family, he would say, ‘I will not go to them, they will come here, and we will be together in Gaza,’” she added.
Al Jazeera Journalist Bleeds To Death After Israeli Strike In Gaza, Outlet Says
Lydia O'Connor
Fri, December 15, 2023
The news outlet Al Jazeera said Friday that one of its camera operators, Samer Abudaqa, was killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza and left for hours bleeding to death.
Abudaqa was reporting with his colleague Wael Dahdouh at a school turned shelter in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, on Friday when they were hit by the strike. Dahdouh is being treated for minor injuries from shrapnel.
In a statement, the Qatar-based network said it condemns the attack “in the strongest terms” and “holds Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families.”
The network described a brutal end to Abudaqa’s life.
Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Samer Abu Daqa has been killed, and his colleague Wael al-Dahdouh was wounded in an Israeli attack in Gaza's Khan Younis https://t.co/ARxWAoA2WMpic.twitter.com/EBc2yAe8WB
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 15, 2023
“Following Samer’s injury, he was left to bleed to death for over 5 hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
In audio shared by the network, one of his colleagues recounted through tears how hard it was for Abudaqa to be away from his family during the Israel-Hamas war.
“Samer’s wife and kids were in Belgium,” Al Jazeera journalist Youmna ElSayed said. “Just before the war, he was able to go to Belgium for the first time and see his kids and wife for the first time after six years. When he returned and the war started, he was relieved that at least his kids and wife were not in Gaza to live through all this horror and terror. And he was just waiting for the war to end so that he can go to them.”
She continued: “There’s nothing to describe our pain. Samer was really a special person to all of us, and a very good friend.”
Smoke rises from Israeli air strikes on the city of Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday.
Smoke rises from Israeli air strikes on the city of Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday.
The International Federation of Journalists also denounced the deadly strike, saying, “We condemn the attack and reiterate our demand that journalists’ lives must be safeguarded.”
Abudaqa is now one of more than 90 media workers killed on the job this year, according to the IFJ’s count, with at least 68 of them dying while covering the Israel-Hamas war since the Oct. 7 attack on the country.
Khan Younis, the second-largest city in Gaza, has become the epicenter of the conflict in recent weeks, despite it being one of the main areas where Palestinians are fleeing for safety. One analysis of satellite data showed that approximately 20% of structures in Khan Younis had likely been damaged or destroyed by Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces say that’s because the “entire leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization — both military and political — proliferated in the area.”
Palestinian officials say that Israeli forces have killed nearly 19,000 people in Gaza, nearly half of them children. Israeli officials say that over 1,100 people died in Hamas’ October attack on the country.
Al Jazeera Journalist Whose Family Was Killed in Airstrike Is Wounded in Gaza. Another Has Died
Mallory Moench
TIME
Sat, December 16, 2023
Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh bids a heart-wrenching farewell to his wife, son, and daughter during their funeral service in the heart of Gaza's Nuseirat camp on Oct. 26, 2023. Credit - Mohammed Zaanoun—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
One Al Jazeera journalist has died and another is wounded after what is believed was an Israeli missile attack at a school in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Friday.
Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh was injured, but Al Jazeera confirmed the death of cameraperson Samer Abudaqa. Dahdouh, whose wife, son, daughter and grandson were killed in an airstrike in October, was wounded by shrapnel in his upper arm and rushed to receive medical care at Nasser Hospital.
Around 6:30 p.m. local time, an ambulance was dispatched for Abudaqa after it received approval from Israeli forces, but it had to turn back because rubble blocked the road, the news outlet reported. Arrangements were being made to get a bulldozer to clear the path as of 7:30 p.m., but by the time medical teams got to him, he had died.
Abudaqa was the father of four children and was a resident of Abasan al-Kabira near Khan Younis.
Dahdouh, who returned to broadcasting on Saturday, with bandages on his arm and hand, said that he and Abudawa were with civil defense rescuers who were working to evacuate a family after their house was bombed when Dahdouh heard an explosion that knocked him out.
Three civil defense team members were also killed at the school, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Ramy Budair, a journalist with the Palestinian New Press agency, was also killed.
In a Friday afternoon press release, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “deeply saddened” by the news and called “on international authorities to conduct an independent investigation into the attack to hold the perpetrators to account.”
In an emailed response to TIME, the Israel Defense Forces said that it “takes all operationally feasible measures to protect both civilians and journalists. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists. Given the ongoing exchanges of fire, remaining in an active combat zone has inherent risks. The IDF will continue to counter threats while persisting to mitigate harm to civilians.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh receives medical treatment at Nasser Hospital after being wounded in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 15, 2023.
Sat, December 16, 2023
Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh bids a heart-wrenching farewell to his wife, son, and daughter during their funeral service in the heart of Gaza's Nuseirat camp on Oct. 26, 2023. Credit - Mohammed Zaanoun—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
One Al Jazeera journalist has died and another is wounded after what is believed was an Israeli missile attack at a school in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Friday.
Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh was injured, but Al Jazeera confirmed the death of cameraperson Samer Abudaqa. Dahdouh, whose wife, son, daughter and grandson were killed in an airstrike in October, was wounded by shrapnel in his upper arm and rushed to receive medical care at Nasser Hospital.
Around 6:30 p.m. local time, an ambulance was dispatched for Abudaqa after it received approval from Israeli forces, but it had to turn back because rubble blocked the road, the news outlet reported. Arrangements were being made to get a bulldozer to clear the path as of 7:30 p.m., but by the time medical teams got to him, he had died.
Abudaqa was the father of four children and was a resident of Abasan al-Kabira near Khan Younis.
Dahdouh, who returned to broadcasting on Saturday, with bandages on his arm and hand, said that he and Abudawa were with civil defense rescuers who were working to evacuate a family after their house was bombed when Dahdouh heard an explosion that knocked him out.
Three civil defense team members were also killed at the school, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Ramy Budair, a journalist with the Palestinian New Press agency, was also killed.
In a Friday afternoon press release, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “deeply saddened” by the news and called “on international authorities to conduct an independent investigation into the attack to hold the perpetrators to account.”
In an emailed response to TIME, the Israel Defense Forces said that it “takes all operationally feasible measures to protect both civilians and journalists. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists. Given the ongoing exchanges of fire, remaining in an active combat zone has inherent risks. The IDF will continue to counter threats while persisting to mitigate harm to civilians.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh receives medical treatment at Nasser Hospital after being wounded in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 15, 2023.
Hani Alshaer—Anadolu/Getty Images
On Oct. 25, Dahdouh received the news while on air that his immediate family was killed when the home they were sheltering in was hit by an airstrike. He returned to work just days later.
Attacks on another journalist were also reported on Friday by the Times of Israel. Video footage shows border police officers beating Palestinian photojournalist Mustafa Haruf with his gun in East Jerusalem. Haruf was then continuously kicked in his head and body and is heard crying out in pain.
Haruf says that he was attacked after leaving a prayer protest in Wadi Joz, which Israeli forces later separated.
Border police said that it suspended the officers seen beating Haruf in the video, and is opening an investigation into the attack, the Times of Israel adds. An earlier statement by police indicated that journalists in the area refused to evacuate.
Friday’s incident underscored the war's deadly toll on Gazan journalists, who are striving to survive the same dangers and deprivations they’re covering. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage, Israeli’s airstrike campaign and ground offensive in Gaza has killed more than 18,000 people, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
Read More: Palestinian Journalists Offer a Rare Glimpse Into Life in Gaza. But for How Long?
On Oct. 25, Dahdouh received the news while on air that his immediate family was killed when the home they were sheltering in was hit by an airstrike. He returned to work just days later.
Attacks on another journalist were also reported on Friday by the Times of Israel. Video footage shows border police officers beating Palestinian photojournalist Mustafa Haruf with his gun in East Jerusalem. Haruf was then continuously kicked in his head and body and is heard crying out in pain.
Haruf says that he was attacked after leaving a prayer protest in Wadi Joz, which Israeli forces later separated.
Border police said that it suspended the officers seen beating Haruf in the video, and is opening an investigation into the attack, the Times of Israel adds. An earlier statement by police indicated that journalists in the area refused to evacuate.
Friday’s incident underscored the war's deadly toll on Gazan journalists, who are striving to survive the same dangers and deprivations they’re covering. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage, Israeli’s airstrike campaign and ground offensive in Gaza has killed more than 18,000 people, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
Read More: Palestinian Journalists Offer a Rare Glimpse Into Life in Gaza. But for How Long?
A man carries the vest worn by veteran Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh (not pictured) when he was injured. AFP/Getty Images
At least 63 journalists and media workers have also died as of Dec. 15, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported. The grim tally includes the deadliest month for journalist deaths in a conflict since the organization began gathering data in 1992.
Nonprofits have pushed for more protections for the press. The International Federation of Journalists said it was “deeply shocked” to hear about Friday’s injuries. “We condemn the attack and reiterate our demand that journalists’ lives must be safeguarded,” it said in a post on X.
In one of the first press deaths of the war, a Reuters video journalist was killed in Lebanon on Oct. 13. A Reporters Without Borders investigation claimed the journalists’ vehicle, with its clear press marking, was targeted. The IDF told TIME on Nov. 4 that the incident was under review. The day before the journalist's death, they had requested that the U.N.'s peacekeeping force verify there were no civilians in the combat zone. They added that entering combat zones “creates a real and immediate danger to civilian lives." On that day, the IDF used tank and artillery fire in response to a missile that hit Israel's security fence, the statement said.
Other journalists from Al Jazeera, whose headquarters are in Qatar, have been injured or killed previously while covering Israel-Palestinian conflict. Last year, a U.N. body determined that Israeli forces shot and killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank, not indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians as initially claimed by Israeli authorities, the international agency said.
Additional reporting by Solcyré Burga
Relatives of the Al Jazeera cameraman, Samer Abu Daqqa, who was killed during an Israeli airstrike, mourn over his body, during his funeral in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)
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