Israel Kills Fifth Member Of Al Jazeera Correspondent’s Family In Gaza

The killing of Wael Dahdouh's son Hamza, who was also a journalist, has elevated widespread anger over Israel's targeting of members of the press.

An Israeli strike hit a vehicle in Gaza on Sunday that killed two journalists, including the eldest son of a veteran Al Jazeera correspondent who already lost much of his family in earlier bombings.

Journalists Hamza Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya and Hazem Rajab were driving to an assignment in southwest Gaza ― an area that was supposedly a safe zone ― when a missile blew up their car. The attack killed Dahdouh and Thuraya, and severely injured Rajab.

Hamza Dahdouh, a 27-year-old journalist, was the son of prominent Gaza correspondent and Al Jazeera Arabic bureau chief Wael Dahdouh. Hamza, who the network said was very attached to his family, followed in his father’s footsteps and joined Al Jazeera to help report on the territory.

“Hamza was everything to me, the eldest boy, he was the soul of my soul,” Wael Dahdouh told Al Jazeera on Sunday from the cemetery where his son was buried. “These are the tears of parting and loss, the tears of humanity.”

Wael Dahdouh, 53, has essentially become the resilient face of Al Jazeera’s Gaza coverage due to his strength and drive to continue reporting despite facing continued losses in his family. In October, an Israeli air raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp killed his wife Amna, 15-year-old son Mahmoud, 7-year-old daughter Sham and 1-year-old grandson Adam.