Israeli military confirms death of Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza, says he was a Hamas member

Aug. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed the death of Ismail al Ghoul, a journalist for the Qatari news network Al Jazeera, during a bombing in the Gaza Strip and have confirmed that he was a member of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The Israeli army on Thursday identified Al Ghoul as a member of the Hamas raiding force known as Nujba and also as a journalist for the Qatari network, banned in Israel for “violating state security.”

“As part of his role in the military wing, he instructed others on how to document fighting and was actively involved in documenting and distributing videos of attacks against the IDF,” X said on social media.

The network itself reported yesterday that camera operator Rami al Rifee was killed along with Al Ghoul. “Before this latest deadly attack, Israel’s war in Gaza was already considered the deadliest conflict for journalists and media workers in the world,” it said in a statement.

The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that images published by their colleagues shortly after the attack, which took place in the Al Shati refugee camp, showed the two workers dead inside a white car in the middle of an empty street. They were wearing press vests.

“We are appalled by this violent attack on two prominent Al Jazeera journalists – the latest incident in nearly 10 months of crimes against journalists in Gaza, where more than 120 journalists have been killed,” said Rebecca Vincent, campaigns director for the NGO.