| Killing of Ismail Al-Ghoul | |
|---|---|
| Part ofKilling of journalists in the Gaza war andIsraeli war crimes in the Gaza war | |
 | |
| Location | Al-Shati refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Coordinates | 31°31′55.9″N34°26′43.4″E / 31.532194°N 34.445389°E /31.532194; 34.445389 |
| Date | July 31, 2024;1 years ago c. 4:00 pm (EESTUTC+3) |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Victim |
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| Perpetrators |  Israeli Defense Forces[1][2] |
On 31 July 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul, aPalestinianjournalist and correspondent forAl Jazeera covering theGaza war, was killed along with cameraman Rami al-Rifi in an Israeli airstrike on theAl-Shati refugee camp while reporting on theassassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
The incident drew international condemnation and calls for an independent investigation, with organizations such asReporters Without Borders and theCommittee to Protect Journalists denouncing the killing as a possiblewar crime, while theIsrael Defense Forces claimed al-Ghoul was aHamas operative, a charge Al Jazeera rejected as baseless.
Ismail Al-Ghoul | |
|---|---|
إسماعيل الغول | |
 | |
| Born | (1997-01-14)14 January 1997 |
| Died | 31 July 2024(2024-07-31) (aged 27) Al-Shati refugee camp, Gaza Strip |
| Cause of death | Targeted killing by Israelair strike |
| Citizenship | Palestine |
| Alma mater | Islamic University of Gaza |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist,correspondent |
| Years active | 2023–2024 |
| Employer | Al Jazeera Arabic |
Ismail Al-Ghoul (Arabic:إسماعيل الغول; 14 January 1997 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian journalist and anAl Jazeera Arabiccorrespondent in theGaza Strip.[1]
On 31 July 2024, during theGaza war, Al-Ghoul and Al Jazeeracameraman Rami Al Refee were killed by anIDF airstrike while covering theassassination ofHamas leaderIsmail Haniyeh near his family home in the Northern Gaza Strip.[3][2]
Ismail obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism from theIslamic University of Gaza and began his work in the field of written journalism as a correspondent for local letters and Palestinian newspapers.[4]
He later shifted to television, working with several media companies in Gaza.[5][6][7]
On 18 March 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul, along with many other civilians, was arrested by theIsraeli Defense Forces (IDF), during theAl-Shifa hospital siege. al-Ghoul was severely beaten by IDF soldiers and detained for 12 hours before being released.[8][9]
In an interview with Al Jazeera, al-Ghoul claimed that Israeli forces attacked the hospital and targeted journalists, breaking their equipment and arresting them. Al-Ghoul said that the journalists were stripped, blindfolded, and forced to lie on their stomachs with their hands tied. If they moved, the soldiers would shoot at the ground in order to intimidate them. After about 12 hours, the journalists were taken for questioning.[10]
TheCommittee to Protect Journalists andReporters Without Borders condemned the assault. They confirmed that al-Ghoul was beaten, and his equipment was destroyed. They also called for an end to such actions.[11]
On 31 July 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Refee were in Gaza to report near the home ofIsmail Haniyeh, the leader ofHamas, who had beenassassinated earlier that day in Tehran, Iran.[12]
Around 4 pm (PSDT), both journalists were killed by anIsraeli airstrike that targeted theAl-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. The attack was so severe that both of them weredecapitated.[13][1]
Al Jazeera's correspondent,Anas al-Sharif, reported on the aftermath from the hospital where the bodies of his colleagues were taken. He said, "al-Ghoul was sharing the suffering of the displaced Palestinians and the suffering of the wounded, and the massacres committed by the Israelis against the innocent people in Gaza." He added.[13]
At the time of the attack, al-Ghoul and al-Refee were wearing media vests, and their car had clear signs identifying them as journalists. They had contacted their news desk just 15 minutes before the strike. During the call, they reported a strike on a nearby house and were told to leave the area immediately. They were on their way toAl-Ahli Arab Hospital when they were killed.[14]
On 1 August 2024 the Israeli military posted a tweet on their official Twitter account bragging about killing al-Ghoul and claiming, without proof, that al-Ghoul was a Nukhba operative who participated in theOctober 7 attack.[15][16]
Al Jazeera refuted these claims, bringing up the fact that al-Ghoul was arrested and released by the Israeli military in March during an Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital which "debunks and refutes their false claim of his affiliation with any organization."[17] An Israeli military spokesperson said they did not have anything more to say on the topic.[15]
According to+972 Magazine, a special unit in the Israeli military called the "Legitimization Cell" works to identify journalists in Gaza that it can depict as undercover Hamas operatives to render them legitimate targets to kill, in an attempt to stiflemedia coverage of its activities in Gaza and quell international outrage overIsrael's killing of journalists.[18] In al-Ghoul's case, the Israeli claimed he was a "military wing operative and Nukhba terrorist"[19] according to a document taken from a "Hamas computer" that said he earned this rank in 2007, when he would have been 10 years old, and several years before he was supposed to have joined Hamas.[20]
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