Deaths of al-Ghoul and al-Refee
On 31 July 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Refee were in Gaza to report near the home of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, who had been assassinated earlier that day in Tehran, Iran. [12]
Around 4 pm (PSDT), both journalists were killed by an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. The attack was so severe that both of them were decapitated. [13] [1]
Al Jazeera's correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, reported on the aftermath from the hospital where the bodies of his colleagues were taken. He said, "al-Ghoul was sharing the suffering of the displaced Palestinians and the suffering of the wounded, and the massacres committed by the Israelis against the innocent people in Gaza." He added. [13]
At the time of the attack, al-Ghoul and al-Refee were wearing media vests, and their car had clear signs identifying them as journalists. They had contacted their news desk just 15 minutes before the strike. During the call, they reported a strike on a nearby house and were told to leave the area immediately. They were on their way to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital when they were killed. [14]
On 1 August 2024 the Israeli military posted a tweet on their official Twitter account bragging about killing al-Ghoul and claiming, without proof, that al-Ghoul was a Nukhba operative who participated in the 7 October attack. [15] [16]
Al Jazeera refuted these claims, bringing up the fact that al-Ghoul was arrested and released by the Israeli military in March during an Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital which "debunks and refutes their false claim of his affiliation with any organization." [17] An Israeli military spokesperson said they did not have anything more to say on the topic. [15]
