Two Al Jazeera Arabic journalists have been wounded whereas masking an Israeli assault on a college in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Wael Dahdouh, Gaza bureau chief for Al Jazeera Arabic, and cameraperson Samer Abudaqa have been masking an earlier air strike at Farhana college in Khan Younis once they have been wounded on Friday by shrapnel from an Israeli missile assault.
Dahdouh was hit by shrapnel on his higher arm, and was transferred to Nasser Hospital with minor accidents.
Abudaqa sustained shrapnel accidents and remained close to the scene of the incident for about two hours, as paramedics have been unable to achieve the location resulting from Israeli hearth, in line with Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum.
Witnesses stated there was heavy shelling within the space across the college.
The ambulance needed to obtain prior “approval” from Israeli forces earlier than it might attain Abudaqa, Abu Azzoum reported from Rafah.
His medical situation stays unclear presently.
In keeping with Al Jazeera’s Wael Dahdouh, who was additionally injured within the assault, Abudaqa was “critically injured”, Abu Azzoum added.
Many Palestinians from the central and northern elements of Gaza have sought shelter in Khan Younis for the reason that struggle started in October. Many have now been pushed additional south in the direction of the strip’s southernmost metropolis of Rafah after Israel intensified its army operations in Khan Younis.
The assault comes amid violent clashes between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli military in places throughout Gaza. Residents reported combating in Shejaya, Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, Tuffah, and Beit Hanoun in north Gaza, east of Maghazi in central Gaza and within the centre and northern fringes of Khan Younis, in line with the Reuters information service.
In late October, Wael Dahdouh misplaced 4 of his relations in an Israeli air raid.
His household had been in search of refuge in Nuseirat camp within the centre of Gaza when their house was bombed by Israeli forces, killing his spouse, Um Hamza, his 15-year-old son, Mahmoud, his seven-year-old daughter, Sham, and his grandson, Adam, who died in hospital hours later.
“Regardless of all of the difficulties, regardless of the demise of his household, he rebounded inside minutes to do his job once more. And now, Wael is the sufferer,” stated Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara.
The Worldwide Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stated it was “shocked” on the assault.
“We condemn the assault and reiterate our demand that journalists’ lives should be safeguarded,” it stated in a submit on X.
An IFJ report printed final week discovered that 72 p.c of journalists who died on the job this yr have been killed within the Gaza struggle.
#Palestine🇵🇸: We’re deeply shocked to be taught that journalist @WaelDahdouh and digicam operator Samer Abu Daqqa have been injured whereas masking an earlier Israeli assault on a college. We condemn the assault and reiterate our demand that journalists’ lives should be safeguarded. https://t.co/mjJvgEXJ3z
— IFJ (@IFJGlobal) December 15, 2023
‘An expert, robust group’
The 2 journalists have labored along with Al Jazeera Arabic since earlier than the struggle.
“[Samer] and Wael make up a really skilled, robust group on the bottom, documenting every part and bringing all of the details and stay footage of what the Palestinian folks have been going by,” Hani Mahmoud stated.
“However significantly with this struggle, given its depth in scale and magnitude and the sheer quantity of destruction, they’ve been on the forefront of masking each little element that one may need forgotten about,” he added.
Jodie Ginsberg, the president of the Committee to Shield Journalists, stated Palestinian journalists in Gaza felt deserted by the worldwide group.
“The function of journalists in such a state of affairs is completely very important – significantly in Gaza the place we’ve seen the sorts of establishments that historically additionally assist with the sorts of documentation in regards to the impression, just like the UN officers, have left – so we’re actually solely left with the Gazan journalists doing this crucial documentation work,” she informed Al Jazeera.
“The worldwide governments’ failure to push for an finish to this battle is more and more creating an actual sense of abandonment amongst the group and significantly amongst the journalist group in Palestine and the area,” Ginsberg stated.