Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief loses 4 family members in Israeli airstrike

Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's chief correspondent in Gaza, was devastated to learn his wife, son, and daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike. He is revered in Gaza for telling stories of suffering to the world. The strike hit Nuseirat Refugee Camp, displacing 1 million people. The Israeli strikes have killed 6,500 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Qatar has emerged as a key intermediary in the release of hostages captured by Hamas militants. Dahdouh's family's death is sure to reverberate across the Arab world.

Al Jazeera's chief correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Wael Dahdouh, was helping broadcast live images of the besieged territory's night sky when he received the devastating news: His wife, son, and daughter had all been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday.

Moments later, the Qatari-based satellite channel switched to footage of Mr. Dahdouh entering al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza before giving way to grief as he peered over the body of his dead son.

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“They take revenge on us in our children?” he said, kneeling over his son's bloodied body, still wearing his protective press vest from that day's work.

Mr. Dahdouh's grandson also was declared dead two hours later, the network reported.

The video was sure to reverberate across the Arab world, where the 53-year-old journalist is well-known as the face of Palestinians during many wars. He is revered in his native Gaza for telling people's stories of suffering and hardship to the outside world.

According to Al Jazeera, Dahdouh's family members were killed by an Israeli airstrike that hit Nuseirat Refugee Camp, located in an area of Gaza where the military had encouraged people to go to stay safe. It said a number of other relatives were still missing, and it remained unclear how many others were killed.