GAZA CITY — Gaza health officials reported that an Al Jazeera cameraman was killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday, one of at least six people killed in strikes that day.
Ahmed Wishah, a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher, died in the strike along with two others, according to the network and local medics. The incident occurred amid broader strikes that also killed at least one child, Palestinian health authorities said.
Al Jazeera condemned the killing as a "heinous crime" and "deliberate targeting," describing it as part of a pattern against its staff. The network said Wishah was the 12th of its media workers killed since the current conflict escalated in October 2023.
The Israeli military stated that the strike was a "precise" operation targeting Hamas militants and identified Wishah as a sniper operative in Hamas's military wing. Al Jazeera rejected the accusations as baseless attempts to justify the killing.
Wishah’s brother, Mohammed Wishah, also an Al Jazeera journalist, was killed in a separate Israeli strike in April. Family members and colleagues mourned at his funeral in Deir al-Balah, with some noting the recent loss.
More than 260 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to local tallies cited by multiple outlets. Exact verification of all cases remains challenging amid ongoing hostilities.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other groups have repeatedly expressed concern over journalist safety in the conflict. Both sides have traded accusations regarding the targeting of media personnel.
As of Wednesday, no independent investigation into the specific strike had been detailed publicly. The Israeli military did not immediately provide further comment beyond its initial statement. Gaza health officials continued to report casualties from the broader fighting.
