Reena Hamad, Staff Writer
Dilapidated vehicles after bombings. Photo//Getty Images
The world is mourning the death of three journalists in Lebanon, who tragically lost their lives when an Israeli airstrike early Friday, October 25, struck a compound in Hasbiayya where several journalists were staying. The attack targeted a bungalow in southern Lebanon that was housing journalists covering escalating tensions in the region.
The journalists were identified as Ghassan Najjar, Mohamed Reda, and Wissam Qassim. Reports say that the journalists were directly targeted, with surrounding cars and buildings marked “press” left covered in rubble and debris from the attack.
Imran Khan from Al Jazeera responded to the tragic attack, emphasizing that Israel had not issued evacuation orders or warnings of any kind in the area and that Hasbaiyya had been relatively calm before the attack.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the strike, calling it a deliberate war crime that severely violates international humanitarian law, which considers journalists to be civilians. CPJ has called for an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible for the atrocity.
The loss of these three beloved journalists reflects a disturbing yet clear pattern of violence against media workers covering conflicts in Gaza and now Lebanon. This recent attack is seen by many as a deliberate message to all journalists that, contrary to moral, ethical, and democratic values, they are not safe nor welcome in their pursuit of truth. Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced the airstrike, calling it yet “another instance of Israeli atrocious war crime by deliberately targeting journalists.”
This tragedy echos the devastating event that took place exactly one year before their death when, on October 25, 2023, Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh was live on air in Gaza City and received news that his family had been killed in an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Al-Dahdouh’s family had moved to Nuseirat which was within the zone Israel had told Palestinians to move to for safety. The catastrophe took the lives of his wife, son, daughter, and infant grandson, and he described it as, “a difficult moment in the life of a Palestinian journalist, when they go to cover an incident for the news and find out that the news is their own family.”
Wael led the farewell prayer for his deceased loved ones shortly after, still wearing his ‘press’ vest. After the prayer, he stated that his voice, and the voice of all journalists like him, would continue to tell the truth, regardless of the price that must be paid.
Just two months after the loss of his family, al-Dahdouh was injured in another missile strike, suffering a wounded hand. Later, on January 7, 2024, tragedy struck once again when his eldest son and journalist Hamza al Dahdouh and journalist Mustafa Thuraya were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in near al-Mawasi, a supposedly safe area, was hit by a missile.
In a similar incident, journalist Mohammed Abu Hattab and 11 of his family members were killed in southern Gaza by an Israeli airstrike, a place they were once told was safe. His colleague, Salman Al Bashir received the tragic news while he was reporting live, tearing off his press vest and helmet saying, “These shields don’t protect us. We are victims, directly on live television. We are losing soul, one by one, with complete impunity.”
According to CPJ, the current violence in Gaza and now Lebanon has marked the deadliest for journalists since the organization began gathering data in 1992. By October 29, 2024, at least 134 journalists and media workers had been killed since October 7, 2023, making this one of the deadliest times for the press in modern history. CPJ’s Program Director Carlos Martinex de la Serna stated that, “Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go into exile, we lose fragments of the truth.”
Since October 7, violence in Gaza has worsened dramatically and only continues to escalate. Official reports have documented more than 43,061 people killed, including 16,765 children, with over 101,223 injured and around 10,000 missing. The humanitarian crisis has now bled into Lebanon, with the violence displacing over a million people and killing and injuring thousands, with more casualties every single day.
As journalists continue to report on these events, the increasing risks they face serve as a stark reminder of the vital yet dangerous role they play. Our prayers go out to all the journalists who never stopped doing their jobs, releasing photos, and reporting live from the catastrophic scenes, risking their lives in the pursuit of justice. They have proved time and time again that they refuse to be broken down by occupational forces and will only continue to reveal the truth in the face of corruption, despite the heavy price. The global community is being urgently called upon to take decisive action to protect journalists and uphold the core moral values of humanity.
An attempt was made to silence Ghassan Najjar, Mohamed Reda, Wissam Qassim, and all those like them, but their legacy echoes far louder than any words could.
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