Amal Mohammed Ghaleb al-Manakhi
Killed in Israeli airstrikes that struck the Moral Guidance Directorate complex housing the newspaper offices.
At approximately 4:45 p.m. on 10 September 2025, Israeli airstrikes targeted several locations in Sanaa and Al-Jawf. The Moral Guidance Directorate building, where Amal al-Manakhi and her colleagues were working, was hit by a series of missiles. The structure collapsed completely, leaving dozens dead and injured. The Israeli military later said it had targeted the Houthi “Public Relations Department,” which it accused of distributing “psychological terror and propaganda.” The strike caused catastrophic destruction, marking one of the deadliest single attacks on media professionals in modern history.
Biography
Amal Mohammed Ghaleb al-Manakhi was a Yemeni journalist who worked for both the 26 September and Yemen newspapers, two publications operating from the Moral Guidance Directorate headquarters in Sanaa. On 10 September 2025, she was killed when Israeli airstrikes struck the building housing the newspapers’ offices. The attacks killed 31 journalists and media support workers, marking the deadliest assault on journalists since the 2009 Maguindanao massacre. Known for her professionalism and dedication, Amal al-Manakhi was part of a generation of Yemeni journalists who continued reporting despite years of conflict and hardship. Her death underscored the extreme dangers faced by journalists in Yemen.
Amal Mohammed Ghaleb al-Manakhi was a journalist working in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, where she contributed to the 26 September and Yemen newspapers. Both publications were associated with the Houthi-run Moral Guidance Directorate, which served as the media and public relations arm of the Yemeni armed forces aligned with the Houthis.
Amal was among dozens of journalists who gathered daily at the Moral Guidance Directorate’s headquarters to finalize reports, edit stories, and prepare the weekly publication of 26 September. Colleagues described her as a dedicated and diligent journalist, committed to her work even amid increasing military tensions and frequent air raids on the city.
On the afternoon of 10 September 2025, a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted the Moral Guidance Directorate building in central Sanaa. Around 4:45 p.m., multiple missiles struck the complex, destroying the offices of the 26 September and Yemen newspapers. Witnesses reported “massive explosions unlike anything Sanaa had seen since 2015,” and the building was reduced to rubble. Amal al-Manakhi was among those killed instantly, with some victims’ bodies buried beneath the debris.
The Israel Defense Forces later stated that it had targeted what it described as “military and propaganda infrastructure” belonging to the Houthi movement, including the Houthi “Public Relations Department.” Yemeni journalists and press organizations, however, condemned the strike as a deliberate massacre of media workers. Nasser al-Khadri, editor-in-chief of 26 September, called it “an unprecedented massacre of journalists.”
Amal’s death was mourned across Yemen’s press community. Colleagues remembered her as one of the few female journalists working in the military-affiliated press sector — courageous, disciplined, and respected by peers for her perseverance despite the war’s hardships.
Additional Information
Sources & References
Amal Mohammed Ghaleb al-Manakhi, a Yemeni journalist who worked for the 26 September and Yemen newspapers, was killed during Israel’s targeted airstrikes on the offices of the two publications in the capital, Sanaa. The September 10 attacks killed 31 journalists and media support workers.1 cpj.org Open source
Killed by Israeli attacks. The deadliest massacre of journalists since the Maguindanao massacre.2 en.wikipedia.org Open source