Israel says two Al Jazeera journalists killed in strike were ‘terrorist agents’

The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday January 10 that two Al Jazeera journalists killed in one of its bombings in the Gaza Strip were “terrorist agents” affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya were killed on Sunday in a strike on their car in Rafah while they were on assignment for the Qatari channel. A third journalist and the driver were injured.

“Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya [ont été] identified as terrorist agents from Gaza”accuses the army. “Before the strike, both [hommes] piloted drones that posed an imminent threat to Israeli troops, she says Military intelligence confirmed that the two deceased were members of terrorist organizations based in Gaza and actively involved in attacks against Israeli forces.

The families of the journalists did not react

The IDF designates Moustafa Thuraya as “a member of the Hamas brigade from Gaza City”and Hamza Dahdouh as a member “Islamic Jihad who was involved in the organization’s terrorist activities”. In a brief statement, Hamas called the accusations “against these two journalists” of “hollow” And “false”.

The families of the two men and the Qatari channel Al Jazeera have not yet reacted to these accusations. Moustafa Thuraya has collaborated with AFP since 2019 as an occasional freelancer, as well as with other international media. Hamza Dahdouh is the son of Waël Dahdouh, head of the Al Jazeera office in Gaza and a figure in the community of Palestinian journalists in the enclave. Since the start of the war, Waël Dahdouh has lost his wife and two other children, as well as two nephews in airstrikes.