Hamza Al-Dahdouh
Hamza al-Dahdouh was killed in a targeted Israeli rocket attack while returning from a reporting assignment in southern Gaza, as part of ongoing assaults against journalists covering the war.
Hamza al-Dahdouh died instantly when an Israeli missile directly struck the vehicle he was traveling in near Rafah, Gaza. According to reports from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Al Jazeera, the attack appeared to be targeted, as the journalists’ car was clearly identifiable and they were returning from covering civilian damage in Khan Yunis.
Biography
Hamza al-Dahdouh (1994 – 7 January 2024) was a Palestinian journalist and reporter for Al Jazeera in Gaza. Known for his dedication to truth and courage under fire, he continued reporting despite the immense risks faced by journalists in the region. Hamza was the son of Wael al-Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief, and followed in his father’s footsteps in journalism. His death symbolized the grave dangers faced by Palestinian reporters documenting Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
Born in 1994 in Gaza, Hamza Wael al-Dahdouh grew up witnessing the ongoing conflict in Palestine, which deeply influenced his commitment to journalism and storytelling. He joined Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau, where he worked tirelessly to highlight the human impact of the war and to provide a voice for the victims of ongoing violence. Despite knowing the risks, Hamza continued to report from the front lines, embodying the courage and professionalism that characterized his father’s legacy as well.
On 7 January 2024, Hamza and his colleague Moustafa Thuraya, a freelance journalist working for Agence France-Presse, were killed when their car was struck by an Israeli missile in Rafah, southern Gaza. The journalists were returning from Khan Yunis, where they had been documenting the effects of Israeli bombardments. Hamza’s death was mourned widely across Palestine and internationally, with press freedom groups condemning the attack as a deliberate targeting of media workers.
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
Hamza’s father, Wael al-Dahdouh, himself injured and bereaved by multiple Israeli attacks that claimed several of his family members, pleaded for justice and accountability for his son’s killing. He expressed deep sorrow, saying that Hamza “walked the same path of truth and sacrifice” and called for the international community to act to stop Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza. His family, colleagues, and press freedom organizations demanded that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate the incident and hold those responsible to account, denouncing it as part of a wider campaign of impunity and suppression of media voices in Palestine.
Additional Information
Sources & References
These two journalists were returning from reporting in Khan Yunis when they were killed by what was a targeted Israeli rocket attack on their car in Rafah, according to the information obtained by RSF. A third journalist who was with them, Hazem Rajab, was badly injured. Hamza Wael Dahdouh was the son of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, who was himself injured by an Israeli strike in mid-December.1 rsf.org Open source