The wife, son, daughter and grandson of Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera Arabic's bureau chief in Gaza, were killed amid the raging conflict in Gaza, on Wednesday, October 25. According to medical sources, an Israeli raid on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed several people, including the four family members of Al-Dahdouh.
According to an Al Jazeera report, his son Mahmoud (15), daughter Sham (7), his grandson Adam and his wife have died in the attack, while some members including his toddler granddaughter have survived and are staying in the Nuseirat refugee camp. His other son Yehia had sustained injuries in the attack, for which an emergency procedure was done in the hospital corridor. After appropriate instruments were not found, they had reportedly used a non-surgical thread to stitch his wound.
"Despite being forced to relocate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip in search of safety, the Al-Dahdouh family was targeted," Xinhua news agency quoted a statement released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior in Gaza as saying. The relocation followed Israel's evacuation call ordering some 1 million people to move to the southern part of the besieged enclave on October 13.
Footage on Al Jazeera English news channel shows Al-Dahdouh entering a hospital to see his slain family members. In a statement released, Al Jazeera confirmed the death of Al-Dahdouh's family members and extended condolences. “The Al Jazeera Media Network extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to our colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh on the loss of his family in an Israeli airstrike,” the organisation said in a statement.
“Their home was targeted in the Nuseirat camp in the centre of Gaza, where they had sought refuge after being displaced by the initial bombardment in their neighbourhood, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for all civilians to move south. Al Jazeera is deeply concerned about the safety, and well-being of our colleagues in Gaza and hold the Israeli authorities responsible for their security. The Network strongly condemns the indiscriminate targeting and killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, which has led to the loss of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family and countless others. We urge the international community to intervene and put an end to these attacks on civilians, thereby safeguarding innocent lives,” it further added.
According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, 24 journalists have been killed, some with their families, and dozens more have been wounded since the beginning of the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, following which Israel has been launching massive airstrikes and punitive measures, including a siege on the enclave with supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and other necessities being cut off. The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has so far killed more than 6,500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and more than 1,400 people in Israel.
Al-Dahdouh’s deceased son Mahmoud aspired to become a journalist, and days before he and his sister posted a video on social media with details of the ongoing war.
(With IANS inputs)