Al-Ghoul is now among at least165 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the beginning of the brutal war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Al Jazeera has refuted the “baseless allegations” by Israeli occupation forces aimed at justifying the killing of its journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Rifi on Wednesday.
Israeli occupation forces alleged on Thursday that Al-Ghoul was a “Hamas military wing” operative, admitting that they deliberately targeted him.
In a statement, the Israeli military went on to accuse Al-Ghoul of reportedly “instructing operatives on how to record operations”, and alleged that he “was actively involved in recording and publicising attacks against” its forces.
Al Jazeera strongly refuted the allegations against Al-Ghoul, highlighting Israel’s “long history of fabrications and false evidence used to cover up its heinous crimes”.
The Qatar-based broadcaster also highlighted Israel’s policy of denying journalists access to the Gaza Strip to report on the dire humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel’s war.
“Ismail joined Al Jazeera in November 2023, dedicating all his time and effort to covering the War on Gaza, documenting the Israeli Forces atrocities in Gaza City and reporting the untold suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, proof that Ismail’s only profession was being a journalist,” the network said.
Al-Ghoul and Al-Rifi were killed in a direct Israeli airstrike on their vehicle in the Al-Shati refugee camp on Wednesday, hours after Israel killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
The journalists, wearing their press vests and helmets, were at the site of Haniyeh’s house in northern Gaza to report on people mourning the death of the Hamas official.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from northern Gaza after the killing, correspondent Anas Al-Sharif said Al-Ghoul was killed despite following Israel’s evacuation order.
Al-Ghoul’s colleague said he was known for his “bravery and courage” in covering the suffering of Palestinians in northern Gaza, especially during the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in late March.
Israeli occupation forces had arrested Al-Ghoul at the time before releasing him 12 hours later.
His killing came under Israel’s targeting of Al Jazeera, especially following the war in the Gaza Strip, targeting its staff and their families.
“Al Jazeera Media Network calls for an independent international investigation into the brutal and heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against its journalists and staff since the beginning of the war on Gaza,” the Qatar-based network said.
Al-Ghoul is now among 165 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the beginning of the brutal war in the Gaza Strip on October 7. The journalists are among at least 39,480 people killed by Israel in nearly 10 months.
Seeking to censor the Qatar-based network outside of Gaza, the Israeli government unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera’s local bureau on May 5. The decision was extended on July 21 for 45 additional days.
