Al Jazeera has denounced the killing of one of its Palestinian correspondents in an Israeli drone strike in Gaza, calling it a "deliberate and targeted crime" against journalism.
Mohammed Wishah, a reporter for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was killed along with another individual when their vehicle was struck on Gaza City's coastal road on Wednesday. The Qatar-based network and local health officials confirmed the deaths.
"This constitutes a new and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, and reflects a continued systematic policy of targeting journalists and silencing the voice of truth," Al Jazeera stated.
The Israeli military claimed Wishah was a "Hamas terrorist" who posed an immediate threat to troops in the area. The Israel Defense Forces alleged he was "a key terrorist in Hamas' rocket and weapons production headquarters" who "operated under the guise of an Al Jazeera journalist."
As evidence, the IDF cited photos from February 2024 that they said showed Wishah handling weapons, including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Both Al Jazeera and Hamas have previously denied any affiliation between Wishah and the armed group.
Witnesses described seeing the vehicle engulfed in flames after the strike, with videos circulating online showing the aftermath.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Wishah's killing "in the strongest possible terms," noting he becomes the 11th Al Jazeera journalist killed since the Gaza conflict began. Reporters Without Borders stated that over 220 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza during the past two and a half years.
International news organizations rely heavily on local reporters within Gaza, as Israel restricts foreign media access to the territory.
Separately, the CPJ reported two other journalists were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon this week—Ghada Dayekh of Sawt al-Farah radio and Suzan Khalil of Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV. The organization noted at least 260 journalists have been killed across the Middle East since the Gaza war started.
"Journalists are being killed at a pace and scale that should shock the conscience of the world. These are not isolated tragedies; they reflect a systematic failure to uphold the most basic protections owed to civilian journalists under international law," said CPJ's regional director Sara Qudah.
Al Jazeera vowed to pursue "all necessary legal action to prosecute those responsible" for killing its staff members in Gaza.
The conflict began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 72,310 deaths, according to Hamas-run health authorities.