Two Al Jazeera Journalists Killed In Israeli Airstrike On Gaza

Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi have been reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. According to Al Jazeera, both journalists were killed in an airstrike on their car in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi were reporting live from a location near the family home of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran's Tehran on Tuesday.

The Qatar-based network said that both journalists were wearing media vests and there were identifying signs on their car when they were attacked. Ismail and Rami last contacted their news desk 15 minutes before the strike. Israel, which has previously denied targeting journalists, has not made any official comment on the matter. Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the incident and said that the latest attack is part of a systematic targeting campaign against the network's journalists and their families since October 2023.

Al Jazeera Media Network condemns in the strongest terms the targeted assassination of Al Jazeera Arabic Channel’s correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al Rifi after being targeted by Israeli occupation forces while covering in Al Shatei Camp.https://t.co/guWnqsL4Ef

— Al Jazeera PR (@AlJazeera) July 31, 2024

"The assassination of Ismail and Rami, while they were documenting the crimes of Israeli forces, underscores the urgent need for immediate legal action against the occupation forces to ensure that there is no impunity," added Al Jazeera in the statement. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 113 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began. “Since the war in Gaza started, journalists have been paying the highest price–their lives–for their reporting," said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York.