Israel kills Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza after incitement campaign

Israel kills Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza after incitement campaign Submitted by Maha Hussaini on Thu, 04/09/2026 - 12:29 Palestinian journalists warn of continued Israeli targeting as seventh reporter killed since October ceasefire   Mourners attend the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Mohammad Weshah, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah 9 April 2026 (Ramzi Abu Amer/IMAGO/APAimages via Reuters) Off An Israeli double-tap strike killed Palestinian journalist Mohammed Samir Wishah in Gaza City on Wednesday. The 40-year-old Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter was travelling in his vehicle with a colleague to cover a story when an Israeli drone struck the car twice, according to colleagues and eyewitnesses. “The vehicle was hit the first time and caught fire. When civil defence teams and ambulances arrived, clearly marked and with medical personnel present, the site was targeted again,” a paramedic who reached the scene shortly after the strike said in a video circulated on social media. “The bodies were charred, and there were around 10–20 injuries in the second strike, as people had gathered around the vehicle when it was hit again.” Originally from the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Wishah had been travelling to Gaza City to cover a humanitarian story, carrying his microphone and equipment, colleagues said. “My colleague Mohammed had worked for Al Jazeera Mubasher since 2014, and he always travelled in his personal vehicle to cover events. He was targeted while on his way to report on a humanitarian story,” Talal Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter, told Middle East Eye. “He was a well-known journalist, especially in the central Gaza Strip, since he had to [solely] cover [events] in this area [during the war] due to the separation of Gaza’s areas from each other.” Incitement campaign Wishah’s colleagues said they had feared for his safety months earlier, after an Israeli incitement campaign targeted him during his reporting of the genocide over the past two years. “The Israeli occupation army published photos that they claimed [proved] his affiliation with Palestinian armed factions, implying that he was a terrorist,” Mahmoud said. “But these photos were taken while working on a documentary film being produced for media purposes.  “Mohammed appeared wearing a military uniform, but he challenged anyone to provide proof that he was affiliated with any armed faction. The Israeli occupation, however, could produce no evidence.” 'He was subjected to an incitement campaign... But he continued his work regardless' - Talal Mahmoud, Palestinian journalist In February 2024, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee published images on X showing Wishah in military-style clothing and equipment, alleging he was a member of Hamas. In June 2025, Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of Jusoor News - which Palestinian journalists accuse of having ties to Israeli intelligence - claimed that Wishah “presented himself as a journalist” before it became “apparent” he was involved in security work as a member of the Qassam Brigades. Israeli writer Edy Cohen shared the post, adding the comment: “Appeal and warning.” Following Wishah’s killing, Adraee appeared to endorse the strike, saying Wishah “was not a journalist, but a Hamas terrorist in every sense of the word”. “Throughout the war, he was subjected to an incitement campaign launched by some [social media] pages affiliated with the Israeli occupation," Mahmoud said. "But he continued his work regardless; he did not hesitate for a moment to continue delivering his message.” Wishah is the seventh Palestinian journalist to be killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. Overall, at least 262 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. ‘Targeted killing’ His killing sparked widespread international condemnation, with journalists’ organisations denouncing the attack and calling for an independent investigation and accountability. Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said Wishah’s killing “suggests, unfortunately, another targeted killing of a journalist by Israel”. “That makes Israel the biggest killer of journalists since CPJ started documenting those deaths in 1992. It has killed more journalists than any other government, any other military force, in the world,” she told Al Jazeera. “Part of a pattern in which Israel is seeking to control what information we outside of Gaza receive about what’s happening there. Journalists are civilians, and they should never be targeted in a war,” she added. Journalists carry photos of Mohammad Weshah during his funeral in Gaza (Ramzi Abu Amer/IMAGO/APAimages via Reuters) Momen Faiz, a Gaza-based Palestinian journalist, says Wishah was targeted for his “exceptional reporting” during the genocide in Gaza. “Mohammed was particularly excellent in live reporting, and he gave a space for humanitarian stories. He used to work under pressure for long days with limited sleeping time,” he told MEE. “After conducting interviews, he often followed up with the [interviewees] and tried to help them.” Faiz, who has himself been wounded in previous Israeli attacks, said journalists in Gaza feel they have been deliberately targeted. 'After every journalist killed in Gaza, the news does not pass as mere news, but as a personal warning' - Momen Faiz, Palestinian journalist In 2008, he was wounded while reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, losing both legs in an Israeli strike. He was wounded again in 2018. “They continue to kill people they know very well are only journalists with clear press signs, vests and microphones or cameras,” he said. “Israel wants to kill the witnesses to deliver a one-sided story to the world.” Following Wishah’s killing, journalists in Gaza took to social media to highlight the risks they face, continuing to report despite fears they could be next. “After every journalist killed in Gaza, the news does not pass as mere news, but as a personal warning, as if death leaves its mark on our doors one by one, whispering inside each of us: you are not far away,” Tariq Dahlan, a Gaza-based journalist, said in a post he shared on Facebook. “We bid farewell to our colleagues, yet we don’t have the luxury of a complete breakdown; we are compelled to carry on, not out of absolute courage, but out of loyalty to what they began, and because if their voice falls silent, everything else falls with it.” Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the Israeli military has killed at least 723 Palestinians and wounded around 2,000 others in ongoing attacks across the Gaza Strip.   Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 72,300 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000 since October 2023.  Israel's genocide in Gaza Gaza City, occupied Palestine News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0