Two Journalists Killed in Separate Israeli Strikes on Lebanon and Gaza
Two journalists have been killed in separate Israeli strikes, one in Lebanon and one in Gaza, drawing condemnation from press freedom groups.
In Lebanon, conservationist Mona Khalil died in a hospital days after an Israeli strike on a coastal beach she had refused to evacuate [178827]. Khalil had spent years protecting sea turtles and their nesting grounds along the shore, and witnesses said she stayed despite warnings to shield the wildlife she had dedicated her life to saving [177909].
In Gaza, Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah was killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, despite a ceasefire in place [178650]. Wishah, who joined the network in 2018, died along with two other people [178650]. The Israeli military confirmed the strike but labeled Wishah a "Hamas terrorist" and a "Hamas sniper operative" without providing supporting evidence [178137][178821]. Al Jazeera condemned the killing as a "flagrant violation of international law" and part of a "systematic policy of attacking journalists" [178650].
Wishah is the 12th Al Jazeera worker killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 [178650]. His brother, Mohammed, who also worked for Al Jazeera as a journalist, was killed in an Israeli strike in April [178137][178650]. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed in the conflict [178650].