Israel-Hamas war: list of journalists killed in the line of duty in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon gets longer
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been gathering information about the many journalists killed in connection with their work, mainly in the Gaza Strip but also in Lebanon and Israel. RSF looks back at the circumstances of their deaths below.
Gaza
Yasser Mamdouh, Kanaan news agency, correspondant - 11 February 2024
Journalist Yasser Mamdouh was reporting on the presence of Israeli tanks near the Al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younès, in the south of the Gaza Strip. He was shot dead by an Israeli sniper as he tried to recover the body of a young man lying in front of the entrance to the medical complex.
Yazan Emad Al-Zwaidi, 27, Al-Ghad TV cameraman - 14 January 2024
Palestinian journalist Yazan Emad Al-Zwaidi, working for the Egyptian satellite news channel Al-Ghad TV, was killed by an Israeli strike targeting the group of civilians he was with while working in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to information gathered by RSF.
Ahmad Badir, Hadf News, 30, journalist - 10 January 2024
Ahmad Badir, journalist with the Hadf News website, was reporting from the entrance to the Shuhada al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, when an Israeli strike killed him. He had refused to leave his neighborhood in central Gaza, choosing to stay in order to document the war. Before October 7, he regularly covered the situation of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamza al-Dahdouh, 29, Al Jazeera reporter, and Moustafa Thuraya, freelance video reporter working for Agence France-Presse - 7 January 2024
These two journalists were returning from reporting in Khan Yunis when they were killed by what was a targeted Israeli rocket attack on their car in Rafah, according to the information obtained by RSF. A third journalist who was with them, Hazem Rajab, was badly injured. Hamza Wael Dahdouh was the son of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, who was himself injured by an Israeli strike in mid-December.
Rami Bdeir, 34, New Press correspondent, - 15 December 2023
New Press correspondent Rami Bdeir, was killed in an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younès as he tried to save other journalists hit by another bombardment on a school in the same area. The reporter was on hand to cover the strikes in Khan Yunis.
Samer Abu Daqqa, Al Jazeera cameraman - 15 December 2023
Samer Abu Daqqa, a 45-year-old cameraman working for the international TV news channel Al Jazeera, died as a result of injuries caused by an Israeli strike while reporting in a Khan Yunis school with Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, who was injured by the same strike.
Montaser Al-Sawaf, Anadolu Agency cameraman - 1 December 2023
Montaser Al-Sawaf, a Palestinian cameraman working for the Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency, was killed by an Israeli air strike shortly after the ceasefire, while standing outside his home with relatives. Seriously injured, he had to wait for an ambulance for more than half an hour before being taken to hospital, where he died after losing too much blood. A few days earlier, the journalist had already been injured in an air strike on his home
Ayat Khadoura, independent blogger - 20 November 2023
Independent video blogger Ayat Khadoura had always covered life in Gaza but, since 7 October, she had been posting regular reports on the war’s impact on the enclosed territory. She continued to do her job until the end, despite the imminent danger. In the video she posted just before being killed by an Israeli strike, she says while crying: "My last message to the world. When will this war end? Who will tell the world what we went through and what we saw?”
Asem Al-Barsh, 34, Radio Al Najah - 21 November 2023
Radio journalist Asem Al-Barsh was killed by an Israeli army sniper in the Al-Saftawi area in the northern Gaza Strip as he was returning home from his job at the Palestinian radio station Al Najah on 21 November. As well as having worked for various local radio stations and helped to develop “Hawiya Podcast,” a podcast that aims to encourage dialogue and a diversity of viewpoints, he also taught radio journalism and podcast production to young journalism students on a voluntary basis. The studio he had in his home was destroyed by an Israeli bombardment shortly after 7 October.
Bilal Jadallah, 45, Press House-Palestine - 19 November 2023
The well-known Palestinian journalist Bilal Jadallah was killed by an Israeli strike that hit his car directly as he was trying to leave Gaza City via the district of Zeitoun on the morning of 19 November. He was a leading figure in the Palestinian media and was chair of the board of directors of Press House-Palestine, an organisation that supports independent media in Gaza.
Hassouna Salim, 28, Quds News, and freelancer Sari Mansour, 32 - 18 November 2023
Hassouna Salim, the director of the Palestinian online news agency Quds News, and Sari Mansour, a freelance photo-journalist who was covering the war for Quds News, were killed during an Israeli attack on 18 November on the Bureij refugee camp, where they lived, in the centre of the Gaza Strip. According to RSF’s information, Salim had received a death threat the day before for reasons linked to his journalistic work.
Roshdi Sarraj, 31, Ain Media - 22 October 2023
A co-founder of the Palestinian media production company Ain Media, Roshdi Sarraj had been a fixer for more than two years for the French public radio broadcaster Radio France. After being out reporting on 22 October, he was arriving at his home in Tal al-Hawa, a district in southwestern Gaza City, and was still wearing his press vest, when an Israeli airstrike hit his home, killing him and injuring his wife and daughter. Aged 31, Sarraj was also a fixer for the French regional daily Ouest-France.
Mohammed Fayez Abou Matar, 28, freelance photo-journalist - 11 October 2023
Four days after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, freelance photo-journalist Mohammed Fayez Abou Matar was killed during an Israeli bombardment of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. He was covering the Israeli military attack on this southern area near the border crossing with Egypt for several international news agencies.
Hisham al-Nawajha, 27, and Saeed al-Tawil, 36, Al Khamisa, and Mohammed Soboh, Khabar - 10 October 2023
These three journalists were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit the Babel tower block in Gaza City on 10 October. Photo-journalist Hisham al-Nawajha and his editor, Saeed al-Tawil, had evacuated the office of the Palestinian news website Al-Khamisa in the nearby Hajji tower block and had stationed themselves close to the Babel Tower to cover the pre-announced Israeli strike on their tower block. Al-Tawil was killed instantly while Al-Nawajha was badly injured and died after being rushed to Al-Shifa Hospital. Mohammed Soboh, a photo-journalist with the Palestinian news agency Khabar, was also killed instantly while covering Israel’s attack on the Hajji Tower from the Babel Tower. During the funeral ceremony for the three journalists in a Gaza City hospital a few hours later, helmets worn by press reporters were placed atop the white sheets covering their bodies as a tribute to their work as journalists.
Mohammad al-Salihi, 29, Al-Sulta al-Rabia - 7 October 2023
On the first day of the war between Israel and Hamas, Mohammad al-Salihi was killed by an Israeli strike although he was identifiable as a journalist by his helmet and vest labelled “press.” He was covering the start of the fighting in the district of Bureij, on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border, for the Palestinian news agency Al-Sulta al-Rabia. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed his death a few hours later.
Ibrahim Lafi, 21, Ain Media - 7 October 2023
A photo-journalist with the Ain Media production company, Ibrahim Lafi was one of the first reporters to venture out in Gaza on the morning of 7 October to cover what was happening. He was killed by an Israeli strike although he was wearing a “press” vest and was holding a camera. Aged 21 and in the final year of a journalism course, he had already worked as a fixer for foreign media, including the French weekly Politis.
Mohammad Jarghoun, 23, Smart Media - 7 October 2023
This 23-year-old reporter working for the Smart Media production company was killed by Israeli fire while covering fighting near the Rafah crossing point in the south of the Gaza Strip on 7 October.
Lebanon
Farah Omar and Rabih al-Maamari, Al Mayadeen - 21 November 2023
Two journalists with the conservative pro-Hezbollah media outlet Al-Mayadeen, reporter Farah Omar and photographer Rabih al-Maamari, were killed on 21 November by an Israeli bombardment on the town of Tayr Harfa, in southern Lebanon, the national news agency ANI reported. They were killed while covering violence along the border with Israel.
Issam Abdallah, 37, Reuters - 13 October 2023
He was the first journalist to be killed outside of Israel and Palestine. According to an investigation by RSF, the spot in southern Lebanon where Issam Abdallah, a photographer with the Reuters news agency, and six other journalists (with Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Al Jazeera) had gathered was targeted by two consecutive strikes coming from the east, from the direction of the Israeli border. The journalists had been out in the open for more than an hour and were all wearing helmets and vests marked "press."
Israel
Roee Idan, 43, Ynet - 7 October 2023
Initially reported missing, Roee Idan was finally added to the list of fatal victims after his body was discovered and identified on 20 October. A photographer for the Israeli news outlet Ynet, this 43-year-old journalist was killed while covering the atrocities that Hamas committed during its deadly raid on the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southwestern Israel. His last photos, taken a few minutes before his death, were published by Ynet.
