Hassan Hamad was killed in an attack on his home in Jabalia camp, taking the total number of journalists killed to 175.
Israeli forces have killed Palestinian journalist Hassan Hamad in an air strike on his home in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, days after the slain journalist said he was warned by an Israeli officer to stop filming in Gaza.
With the killing of the 19-year-old journalist, whose work appeared on Al Jazeera and other networks, the number of Palestinian journalists killed since the war began has risen to 175, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 128 journalists and media workers are among the more than 41,000 people killed since Israel launched the devastating war on Gaza in October 2023.
Colleagues and the Government’s Media Office in Gaza confirmed Hamad’s death, saying the journalist’s home was deliberately attacked to silence him after he received threats.
“Hassan Hamad, the journalist who did not live past the age of 20, resisted for a full year in his own way. He resisted by staying away from his family so they wouldn’t be targeted. He resisted when he struggled to find an internet signal, sitting for an hour or two on the rooftop just to send the videos that reach you in seconds,” a post on Hamad’s X account posted by his colleague said.
“At 6am (03:00 GMT), he called me to send his last video. After a call that didn’t last more than a few seconds, he said, ‘There they are, there they are, it’s done,’ and hung up,” the colleague added.
According to footage verified by Al Jazeera, Hamad’s body was found in pieces and had to be put into bags and boxes after the Israeli attack.
“This is what remains of his body,” one of his colleagues shared in an Instagram post.
Hamad had been documenting Israel’s war in Gaza for more than a year and worked as a freelance TV reporter.
Palestinian journalist Maha Hussaini said that a few days before Hamad’s death, he had been threatened by an Israeli officer through a Whatsapp message and several calls, ordering him to stop filming in Gaza.
“‘Listen, If you continue spreading lies about Israel, we’ll come for you next and turn your family into […] This is your last warning’…” Hussaini posted on X, sharing the message Hamad had received.
Listen, If you continue spreading lies about Israel, we'll come for you next and turn your family into […] This is your last warning".. Journalist Hassan Hamad received this message on WhatsApp, along with several calls from an Israeli officer ordering him to stop filming in… pic.twitter.com/q6SAzMj5xc — Maha Hussaini (@MahaGaza) October 6, 2024
The Israeli government has not yet commented on his death.
“Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go to exile, we lose fragments of the truth,” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in a statement on Friday.
“Those responsible for these casualties face dual trials: one under international law and another before history’s unforgiving gaze,” he added.
TicTac_No on October 7th, 2024 at 01:37 UTC »
Headline disagrees with the content of the article.
This was artilary, not a raid. And, this event occurred months ago, not yesterday.
This kind of bullshit is why Al Jazeera cannot be considered a reputable news source. Their reporting contradicts their reporting, which contradicts their reporting. Some would call their reporting bullshit. Others just point to the reporting itself and shrug.
Zigggystarrdustt on October 7th, 2024 at 00:12 UTC »
I mean this sincerely, but there has never been this many journalists in Palestine, ever. there is no free press in WB or Gaza. They don’t have independent media. Their news publications aren’t distributed internationally, but The last year they’ve used the title of journalist for many victims of the war . Been through this for 30 years and I’ve never seen that before. until this year.
What paper or publication was he a journalist for? I can’t find that info.
Sabertooth767 on October 6th, 2024 at 23:23 UTC »
MiddleEastEye reports that he was killed by artillery, not an airstrike or raid (AJ's article disagrees with its own headline), and that the alleged threats occured months ago, not days ago.