Israeli strike on school kills Al Jazeera cameraman in south Gaza, network says

Cairo: An Israeli strike killed a Palestinian cameraman for the TV network Al Jazeera and wounded its chief Gaza correspondent Friday as they reported at a school in the south of the besieged territory, the network said.

Cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa and correspondent Wael Dahdouh had gone to the school in the southern city of Khan Younis after it was hit by a strike earlier in the day.

While they were there, an Israeli drone hit the school with a second strike, the network said.

Dahdouh was heavily wounded in his arm and shoulder, while Abu Daqqa fell bleeding

to the ground. Speaking from a hospital bed, Dahdouh told Al Jazeera he was able to flee, bleeding, from the school and found several ambulance workers.

He asked them to look for Abu Daqqa, but they said it was too risky and promised another ambulance would come for him, Dahdouh said.

“He was screaming, he was calling for help,” said Dahdouh, his right arm heavily bandaged.

Later that evening, Al Jazeera reported that an ambulance tried to reach the school to evacuate Abu Daqqa, but it had to turn back because roads were blocked by the rubble of destroyed houses.

Abu Daqqa continued to bleed for several more hours, until a civil defense crew found him dead Friday evening, the network said in a statement.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Abu Daqqa is the 64th journalist to be killed since the conflict erupted between Hamas and Israel on Oct. 7.

That number includes 57 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese journalists.

The 45-year-old Abu Daqqa, a Khan Younis native, joined Al Jazeera in June 2004, working as both a cameraman and an editor.

He leaves behind three sons and a daughter.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment about the Abu Daqqa’s death. Qatari-owned Al Jazeera said in a statement that it holds Israel accountable for systematically

targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their family members.