Killing of Ismail al-Ghoul

Last updated

Contents

Killing of Ismail al-Ghoul
إسماعيل الغول
Ismail al-Ghoul.png
Born(1997-01-14)14 January 1997
Died31 July 2024(2024-07-31) (aged 27)
Cause of deathAssassinated by IDF [1] [2]
Citizenship Palestine
Alma mater Islamic University of Gaza
Occupation(s) Journalist, correspondent
Years active2023–2024
Employer Al Jazeera Arabic

Ismail Al-Ghoul (Arabic : إسماعيل الغول; 14 January 1997 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian journalist and an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent in the Gaza Strip. [1]

On 31 July 2024, Al-Ghoul and Al Jazeera cameraman Rami Al Refee were assassinated by an IDF airstrike while covering the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh near his family home in the Northern Gaza Strip. [3] [2]

Career

Ismail obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Islamic University of Gaza and began his work in the field of written journalism as a correspondent for local letters and Palestinian newspapers. [4]

He later shifted to television, working with several media companies in Gaza. [5] [6] [7]

Al-Shifa Hospital siege

On 18 March 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul, along with many other civilians, was arrested by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), during the Al-Shifa hospital siege. al-Ghoul was severely beaten by IDF soldiers and detained for 12 hours before being released. [8] [9]

In an interview with Al Jazeera, al-Ghoul claimed that Israeli forces attacked the hospital and targeted journalists, breaking their equipment and arresting them. Al-Ghoul said that the journalists were stripped, blindfolded, and forced to lie on their stomachs with their hands tied. If they moved, the soldiers would shoot at the ground in order to intimidate them. After about 12 hours, the journalists were taken for questioning. [10]

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders condemned the assault. They confirmed that al-Ghoul was beaten, and his equipment was destroyed. They also called for an end to such actions. [11]

Assassination

Assassination 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 assassinated 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 assassinating 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]

Reactions

Arabs

  • The Qatar Press Center strongly condemned what they described as the "assassination" of journalists Ismail al-Ghoul, Rami al-Refee. [18]
  • Al Jazeera Media Network described the killing as a "deliberate assassination". [19]
    • Al Jazeera English correspondent Maram Humaid wrote a eulogy to al-Ghoul, stating, "Your death is the latest reminder of how Israel has silenced so many of us, too many to name, but each one is forever lodged in our memories as a hero taken away too soon." [20]

International

  • The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep concern over the killing of Al Jazeera TV reporter Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al Refee. CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg, speaking from New York City, emphasized that journalists are civilians and should never be targeted, demanding an explanation from Israel for what appears to be a deliberate strike. [21]
  • The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed three complaints with the International Criminal Court. [22]
  • The Freedom of the Press Foundation responded to the Israeli military's tweet asking for evidence and calling the assassination a flimsy excuse to target a journalist by a media house that the Israeli military dislikes. [15] [23]
  • Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, stated, "I strongly denounce the deliberate targeting by Israel of two journalists in Gaza, which adds to an already appalling toll of reporters and media workers killed in this war". [24]

Related Research Articles

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, better known as Mohammed Deif, was a Palestinian militant and the head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismail Haniyeh</span> Palestinian politician (1960s–2024)

Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024. He also served as prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from March 2006 until June 2014 and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip from June 2007 until February 2017, where he was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wael Al-Dahdouh</span> Palestinian journalist (born 1970)

Wael Hamdan Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh is a Palestinian journalist and the bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza City.

The year 2023 in Israel was defined first by wide-scale protests against a proposed judicial reform, and then by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which led to a war and to Israel invading the Gaza Strip.

The killing of journalists in the Gaza war, along with other acts of violence against journalists, marks the deadliest period for journalists in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since 1992 and the deadliest conflict for journalists in the 21st century. As of September 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) counted 116 journalists who were killed, and the International Federation of Journalists counted 166 journalists and media workers who were killed. A July 2024 count by the Gaza government media office placed the number of Palestinian journalists killed at 160, and in January 2025 the Gaza Government Media Office increased it to 202.

Hind Osama Al-Khoudary is a Palestinian journalist based in the Gaza Strip. She has reported for multiple media outlets including Al Jazeera English and Anadolu Agency.

Events of the year 2024 in Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samer Abu Daqqa</span> Palestinian photojournalist (1978–2023)

Samer Abu Daqqa was a Belgian-Palestinian video journalist working for Al Jazeera. He was killed during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war after the Israeli army bombed an Al Jazeera crew in Khan Yunis on 15 December 2023, while he was covering a Haifa School airstrike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks on journalists during the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)</span> Series of attacks against journalists

Since the beginning of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict on 8 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces has killed ten journalists and injured at least 15 others in multiple incidents near the Lebanon–Israel border and in Syria. Lebanese residents have also attacked journalists covering the war from Hezbollah controlled areas which injured multiple and one instance resulted in the death of a Lebanese civilian guide.

Events in the year 2024 in Palestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamas most wanted playing cards</span> Deck of playing cards featuring Hamas members

The Hamas most wanted cards are decks of playing cards featuring pictures of Hamas members wanted by the State of Israel. The decks were produced by independent volunteers and were handed out to Israel Defense Forces soldiers during the early stages of the Israel–Hamas war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Executions and assassinations during the Gaza war</span>

During the Gaza war there have been a very large number of incidents of deliberate killings of people who were not actively engaged in combat. In addition to unarmed civilians, many of the soldiers and militants who were killed - and often reported simply as militants or soldiers, as if they died in combat - were not actively engaging in hostilities at their time of death. There have also been many alleged assassinations, summary executions, deaths in custody, or other extrajudicial killings, with varying amounts of evidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13 July 2024 al-Mawasi attack</span> 2024 Israeli attack on refugee camp in Gaza

On 13 July 2024, Israeli airstrikes hit the Al-Mawasi area near Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. The attack killed at least 90 Palestinians, among them women and children, and injured over 300. Israel said that the strike targeted Hamas top leaders. Survivors reported that they were targeted without warning in an area they were told was safe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh</span> 2024 assassination of Hamas leader

On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack. Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in a military-run guesthouse after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, condemned this assassination and said that Haniyeh's "blood will never be wasted".

Israeli forces launched an incursion into Khan Yunis on 9 August 2024 was a battle in the Israel-Hamas war which began on 9 August 2024. The battle represented the third separate ground operation in Khan Yunis by Israel against Hamas-led Palestinian forces, following the first siege and a brief incursion in the city.

On 29 October 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on a five-story residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, killing at least 55 to 93 Palestinians, including 25 children, and leaving 40 others missing.

Hamza Wael Hamdan Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh was a Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera. He was killed during the Gaza war after an Israeli drone strike that targeted vehicles containing a group of journalists on their way after filming the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a home a day earlier.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "IDF confirms killing Al Jazeera journalist, says he was Hamas operative". Reuters . 1 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 "IDF confirms Gaza strike that killed Al Jazeera reporter, says he participated in October 7 massacre | The Times of Israel". Times of Israel. 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  3. "Israel kills an Al Jazeera journalist and says, without evidence, he was a Hamas operative". Reuters . 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. "9 وجوه بارزة من غزة حملت على عواتقها نقل الحقيقة رغم التهديدات". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  5. "الصحفي إسماعيل الغول للجزيرة: عناصر "القسـ.ـام" ظهروا فجأة شمال القطاع، وقاموا بعملية تسليم الأسرى في قلب المدينة وبحضور جماهيري وباستعراض القوة، والمكان الذي تم فيه التسليم دارت فيه معارك ضارية بين "القسـ.ـام" والاحتلال قبل أيام #صورة #حرب_غزة – خبر في سطر". www.newsinline.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. "Two journalists killed in Israeli airstrike as blast hits car in Gaza". Sky News. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  7. Zhang, Sharon (31 July 2024). "Israel Kills Al Jazeera Journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi in Gaza". Truthout. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  8. "Israel's war on Gaza updates: World condemns Al Jazeera journalist's arrest". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. "مستشفى الشفاء: الجيش الإسرائيلي يدهم المجمع في غزة ويعتقل 80 شخصا من بينهم "نشطاء". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 18 March 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  10. "Witnesses: IDF assaulted, detained Al Jazeera journalist in hospital raid". Committee to Protect Journalists. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  11. "x.com".
  12. admin (31 July 2024). "War on Journalists – Ismail al-Ghoul, Rami al-Rifi Killed by Israeli Bombing in Gaza". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Al Jazeera journalist, cameraman killed in Israeli attack on Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  14. "Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalists near Ismail Haniyeh's home in Gaza". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 Shuham, Matt (2 August 2024). "'ELIMINATED': Israel Brags Of Killing Noted Al Jazeera Journalist In Gaza". HuffPost . Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  16. "Israel Defense Force on X". Twitter . 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  17. "Al Jazeera refutes 'baseless' Israeli allegations against Ismail al-Ghoul". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  18. Lamari, Tawfik (1 August 2024). "QPC strongly condemns assassination of journalists Ismail al-Ghoul, Rami al-Rifi". Gulf Times. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  19. Ebrahimi, Soraya. "Al Jazeera condemns killing of its journalists in Israeli air strike". The National. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  20. Humaid, Maram. "Dear Ismail al-Ghoul: The world has forgotten us. We won't forget you". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  21. "Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Al Ghoul and Rami Al Refee killed in Gaza". Committee to Protect Journalists. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  22. "Targeting of Gaza's journalists continues: Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi killed in Israeli strike | RSF". rsf.org. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  23. "Freedom of the Press on X". Twitter . 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  24. "UN Human Right Expert denounces killing of two more journalists in Gaza and demands full accountability". United Nations. Retrieved 17 August 2024.