Gaza- Palestinian journalists expressed broad solidarity with colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh, Tel Aviv Tribune correspondent in the Gaza Strip, after the martyrdom of his eldest son Hamza, accompanied by journalist Mustafa Thuraya.
The journalists who spoke to Tel Aviv Tribune Net unanimously agreed that the martyr Hamzah was famous for his kindness, great generosity, professionalism, and love for his journalistic work. They also stated that Israel would not be able to “break the resolve of our colleague Wael, by continuing to target him and his family.”
Hamza was martyred on Sunday in an Israeli bombing targeting journalists west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Journalist Mustafa Thuraya was also martyred alongside him as a result of a missile from an Israeli drone that targeted the car in which they were traveling, southwest of the Gaza Strip.
A number of members of the family of our colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh – including his wife, son, daughter and grandson – were previously martyred in an Israeli bombing that targeted a house to which they were displaced in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
“Hamza was the soul of the soul.” Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh mourns his son Hamza after his martyrdom in Khan Yunis pic.twitter.com/HmkV8e4lje
– Tel Aviv Tribune Egypt (@AJA_Egypt) January 7, 2024
Direct assassination
Journalist Amer Abu Amra, an eyewitness to the incident, said that a group of photographers that included, in addition to him, Hamza al-Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya, and Ahmed al-Bursh, were filming a news report about the targeting of a house belonging to the “Abu al-Naja” family north of Rafah, which resulted in the martyrdom of dozens of Palestinians.
He added in an interview with journalists, including the Tel Aviv Tribune Net correspondent, “After we finished filming, Hamza, Mustafa, Ahmed Al-Barsh and I gathered in a certain place, and then the first missile was launched from a drone and it landed near us.”
He stated that all four journalists were injured by the missile, adding, “Because there was an ambulance that was transporting the bodies of the martyrs, Ahmed (Al-Barash) and I got into it, while Hamza and Mustafa got into another car, and we headed towards Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital.”
On the way to the hospital, the Israeli plane fired another missile at the car carrying Al-Dahdouh Jr. and Soraya, killing them, according to Abu Amra.
Ethics and professionalism
Muhammad Abu Daqqa, a photographer in the Tel Aviv Tribune office in the Gaza Strip, says that he worked with the martyr Hamza over long periods, during which he was an example of professionalism, high morals, and high determination.
Abu Daqqa added to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Hamza is a caring, generous person. He loves and loves the profession like his father. He had a great sense of the suffering of the people of Gaza and was keen to expose the crimes of the occupation.”
Abu Daqqa revealed that Hamza refused to travel from the Gaza Strip, a week before his martyrdom, and decided to stay in order to continue performing his media mission on the one hand, and on the other hand to remain alongside his father, our colleague Wael.
He ruled out that Israel would succeed in breaking the resolve of our colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh by continuing to target him and his family, adding, “Wael’s resolve is strong and difficult to break, because he is a mountain, and his stamina is great because he believes in the cause and believes in God.”
For his part, Palestinian journalist Fathi Sabbah, editor-in-chief of the Masdar News Network, expressed his pride in his personal knowledge of the martyr Hamza, noting that he met him for the last time, two days before his martyrdom.
Sabah added to Tel Aviv Tribune Net after he was overcome by tears, “Hamza is a decent young man, and his departure, and the departure of his brother, sister, and mother (at the beginning of the war) hurt my heart.”
He continued, “This lion cub is polite, polite, and respectful. He is an example of a promising young man who has a sense of patriotism, and hopes and ambitions that are part of the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
Sabbah stated that the policy of assassinating journalists by Israel is “old and new,” and began with the assassination of the writer and media personality Ghassan Kanafani in 1972, and is “part of the narrative war between the people and the occupation.”
Promising journalist
In turn, journalist Saleh Al-Masry, editor-in-chief of the “Palestine Today” agency, praised the martyr colleague Hamza, and said that he was “a promising journalist who performed multiple tasks with the Al-Jazeera crew.”
Al-Masry mentioned, in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that Hamza achieved great success as an activist on social media networks, and he was very happy when his followers increased, which reached about a million on the Instagram application.
He added, “On the morning of his martyrdom, I had breakfast with him and drank tea, and then, as usual, he went off to photograph press stories before we heard the news of his martyrdom.”
Al-Masry also praised his colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh, who he said had become “a role model for many journalists in Palestine and around the world, due to his high professionalism.”
Al-Masry is certain that Israel will not be able to break the resolve of his colleague Al-Dahdouh by continuing to target his family. He added, “I think he has enough stubbornness to push him to continue his media career.”
big loss
Over the years, journalist Moatasem Murtaja established a strong friendship with the martyrs Hamza and Mustafa. Moatasem, who runs a media production company in Gaza, says that Hamza is “my close friend for many years, and we worked together in a private company in journalistic work and film production.”
He added to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “I was with Hamza this morning before his martyrdom, and we drank coffee together. He even drank from my cup, and I told him, ‘You are the best person to make coffee.'”
He stated that he was “caring and giving, loved doing good and helping people, and had great ambition,” and added, “Our loss in Hamza, on the humanitarian level, is very great, and cannot be compensated.”
As for his second friend, the martyr Mustafa Thuraya, Murtaja says that he is 28 years old and an employee in the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, and in addition to his government work, he works in the field of journalism.
He mentioned that Mustafa was one of the best drone photographers in the Gaza Strip, and was famous for his high competence in this field.
He continues, “Mustafa was very generous, and almost most of the journalists in Rafah benefited from his assistance to them, and in providing the requirements for journalistic work.”
In turn, journalist Saeed Al-Sabaa, a cameraman for the Kuwait Channel in the Gaza Strip, offered his condolences to his colleague Al-Dahdouh, and told Al-Jazeera Net, “We offer our condolences to Abu Hamza for Hamza, and we say to him, may God bless your heart, may God have mercy on the martyr, and give you patience and solace.” He added, “Hamza was known for his high morals and professionalism.”
The Director General of the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Al-Thawabta, also mourned our colleagues Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, describing their targeting as a heinous crime.
Al-Thawabta told Al-Jazeera Net, “May God have mercy on the two fellow journalists, Al-Dahdouh and Soraya, and grant them a spacious place in Paradise. My sincere condolences to the Palestinian journalistic family, to fellow journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh, and to the family of the martyr, Soraya.”
