Israel, Al Jazeera Journalist Killed in Gaza Strip School Bombing

One Al Jazeera Cameraman Killed in Attack on Gaza Strip, Palestine

One cameraman from the Arab media outlet Al Jazeera was reported killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

According to Al Jazeera on the 15th (local time), the Israeli military bombed Farhana School in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza Strip, killing Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaka and seriously injuring fellow correspondent Wael Dadu in the arm and shoulder.

The school was hit by an Israeli airstrike that morning, and Abudaka had visited the school with Dadu for coverage when they became victims of an additional Israeli strike. Rescue teams were unable to immediately approach Abudaka’s location due to the risk of further Israeli bombing and found his bloodied body several hours later.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental organization (NGO), Abudaka is the 64th journalist killed since the war broke out following the surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel on October 7. Earlier, on October 13, Reuters cameraman Issam Abdallah (37), who was covering the Israel-Lebanon border, was killed by shelling, and several other journalists were injured, raising criticism that Israeli tanks may have deliberately targeted civilians.

Reports state that Abudaka, a Palestinian from Khan Yunis, joined Al Jazeera in June 2004. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, condemned Israel at a war-related assembly, saying it "targets journalists who document crimes and inform the world."