Israel says journalists it killed in Gaza on Sunday were 'terrorist agents'

The Israeli Army assured this Wednesday that two journalists killed in an airstrike last Sunday in Gaza were “identified as terrorist agents” of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in a case that generated widespread complaints and controversy.

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On the morning of January 7, “Israeli troops detected a hostile drone near Rafah, an immediate threat to nearby soldiers,” after which a fighter plane was sent “to attack the drone operators” who died in the attack.

These were the reporters Mustafa Thuria, a collaborator among other media for the French news agency AFP, and Hamza al Dahdouh, who worked for Al Jazeera and was the son of the head of the Qatari channel in Gaza, Wael Al Dahdouh, whose case already became internationally known after Israeli bombings killed his wife, two of his children and also his granddaughter during this offensive.

“However, Israeli Army Intelligence confirmed that the two deceased were members of Gaza-based terrorist organizations that were actively involved in attacks,” a military spokesman said. According to him, he added, of the air attack that ended his life, the two reporters “operated drones, posing an imminent threat to Israeli troops.”

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According to the Army, Thuria, “in a document found by Army troops in Gaza, was a member of Hamas' Gaza City brigade, and served as deputy commander” of a squad.

For its part, Israeli forces allege that Dahdouh was part of Islamic Jihad, “and was involved in the organization's terrorist activities.”

“Documents found by troops in Gaza reveal s“his role in the Islamic Jihad electronic engineering unit and his previous role as deputy commander” in a rocket launching unit, adds the military spokesperson.

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According to data from Gaza authorities, at least 112 reporters and media employees were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.and the international entity Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) estimates that there would be around 80 journalists dead.

Beyond losing much of his family and his eldest son Hamza, Wael Al Dahdouh was also injured a few weeks ago, and a fellow cameraman was killed in an Israeli drone strike when they were covering the bombing of a school.

EFE