Two Al-Jazeera journalists between life and death in Gaza: RSF condemns new crimes by the Israeli army
On 8 October, Ali Attar, a cameraman for Al-Jazeera, was hit by a strike in the city of Deir al-El Balah in central Gaza. The next day, Fadi Alwahidi, also a cameraman for the Qatari news channel, was shot by a sniper in the encircled camp of Jabalia in northern Gaza. Both journalists are currently hospitalised and in critical condition. RSF condemns this shameless targeting and the blatant, ongoing attacks on journalists’ safety.
Two reporters were gravely injured by Israeli forces this week while covering the Israeli army's siege of northern Gaza and its impact on the local population.
On 9 October, photojournalist Fadi Alwahidi, aged 24, was hit in the neck by an Israeli sniper while filming the siege of the Jabalia camp, located in the north of the Palestinian enclave, for Al-Jazeera. Two days before, on 7 October, Ali Attar, aged 27 and also a cameraman for the Qatari news channel, was hit by an Israeli strike while covering the displacement of locals fleeing the siege towards Deir al Balah.
“We condemn these latest attacks by Israeli forces on journalists simply trying to do their jobs reporting on the war. These latest reports came in while we were in Geneva advocating alongside Al Jazeera for urgent UN action to stop this relentless violence against Gaza’s media. As the lives of these two journalists hang in the balance, we urge the IDF to grant their safe passage out of the country to receive full medical care without delay. We hold the IDF fully responsible for what happens next.
The image of Alwahidi's slumped body lying on the ground, which appeared live on Al-Jazeera, was reminiscent of the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, the well-known Al-Jazeera West Bank correspondent killed by an Israeli army sniper in Jenin, a city in the West Bank, on 11 May 2022. Alwahidi was rushed to Al-Maamadi hospital in central Gaza on the afternoon of 9 October before being transferred to a small clinic, where he underwent an initial surgery on the afternoon of 11 October. Al-Attar, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, was transported to the intensive care unit of the European Hospital in central Gaza.
Over 130 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the war. At least 33 of them were targeted while working.
