An Israeli airstrike on Gaza killed Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed al-Louh on Sunday, the Qatar-based network reported. The strike targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al Jazeera's Arabic-language website.
The Israeli military, when contacted by AFP for comment, stated that it is "looking into the reports."
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Al Jazeera has provided continuous coverage of the conflict, reporting from the ground on the impact of Israeli military operations.
The network has long been at the center of tensions with the Israeli government, which has repeatedly accused Al Jazeera journalists of having ties to Hamas or its ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al Jazeera has denied these allegations and contends that Israel has specifically targeted its employees in Gaza.
Al-Louh is the fifth Al Jazeera journalist to be killed since the war began, and the network’s Gaza office has also been bombed. In September, Israeli forces raided Al Jazeera's office in the West Bank, with Israel's military claiming that the Ramallah bureau had been "used to incite terror" and "support terrorist activities." Al Jazeera condemned the raid as a violation of press freedom.
In April, Israel’s parliament passed a law allowing the government to ban foreign media broadcasts deemed harmful to national security. Based on this law, on May 5, the Israeli government approved a decision to ban Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel and close its offices.
(with AFP)
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