News/Commentary

‘Journalist’ killed in Gaza was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket engineer. But, there’s more…

January 11, 2024 | | Print Article

Regardless of the conflict, few casualties of war spark international outrage as quickly as the death of a journalist.

When a reporter falls, much of the world sees it as a fatal blow to freedom itself — a barbaric act of incivility that shreds the very fabric of a sane society.

Such was the case when the son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh — Palestinian journalist Hamza Dahdouh — was killed on Sunday, the victim of an Israeli air strike.

“In the end, this does not change anything of reality, and will not change any of our decisions,” Wael Dahdouh told NBC News. “We are going to proceed as long as we are alive and breathing. As long as we are able to do this duty and deliver this message.”

“According to Al Jazeera correspondent Hisham Zaqout, Hamza al-Dahdouh and a group of journalists were en route to the Moraj area north-east of Rafah – which was designated a ‘humanitarian zone’ by the Israeli army – but which had reportedly experienced recent bombings,” the BBC reported. “Many displaced Gazans had fled to the area to escape the bombardment in other regions of the territory. Hamza had intended to report on the unfolding situation and the aftermath of the bombings in the area, according to Al Jazeera.”

ADVERTISEMENT

But after years of media-born propaganda, not everyone is buying the “innocent journalist” narrative.

“I found the social media accounts of 100 of the ‘journalists’ in Gaza,” investigative journalist Dave Collier stated on X. “Almost all of them are tied up with Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Almost all of them celebrate the murder of Jews.”

“So WHY is it that NOT ONE Journalist from [BBC News] or [Sky News] even bothered to look,” he fumed. “The Sky News journalists are happy to spread the lies of Hamas propaganda but not a single one could be bothered to go and see if these people were really journalists? Do they do any work at all?”

“Absolutely sickening that our media has turned itself into a lazy puppet for radical Islamic groups and it is left to a few British Jews to point out the truth,” Collier added.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamza Dahdouh and freelance journalist Mustafa Thuraya, who was also killed, were “members of Gaza-based terrorist organizations.”

“On Jan 7, an IAF aircraft directed by troops targeted the operators of a drone, posing a threat to our soldiers near Rafah. The operators were later identified as al-Dahdouh and Thuria,” IDF said in a statement. “Documents found by our troops in Gaza revealed Thuria’s role as Squad Deputy Commander in Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade, as well as Al-Dahdouh’s roles in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization’s electronic engineering unit and previously as a deputy commander in IJ’s Zeitun Battalion.”

It confirms journalist Eitan Fischberger’s dig into the deceased Dahdouh’s background.

“Earlier this week, I predicted that Hamza was a terrorist,” he wrote on X. “Unfortunately people didn’t feel like reading past the sarcastic first post in my semi-viral thread, but turns out I was right.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“Journalists don’t ride in vehicles with Hamas terrorists operating a drone,” Fischberger noted in his thread.

Citing the document provided by the IDF, Fischberger stated that Dahdouh was “a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket engineering apparatus,” adding, “Here’s a PIJ document with Hamza’s name on it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

That, in the minds of many, changes everything.

“A ‘journalist’ carrying out a military mission is a legitimate target,” wrote one user on X. “A ‘journalist’ aiding and abetting an enemy can and should be prosecuted.”

 

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles