So far, Israel has killed at least 6,546 Palestinians, including at least 2,704 children since it launched its most brutal campaign on the besieged Strip to date.
Top Qatari official Lolwah Al Khater hit back at the international community’s double standards in the ongoing Israeli massacres against Palestinians following the killing of the family of Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza on Wednesday.
“Dear world, please prove us wrong, that Palestinians, both Christians and Muslims, are of a lesser value to you?” Al Khater, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The remarks were made shortly after reports confirmed the killing of the family of Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera Gaza’s bureau chief, in an airstrike on a residential area in the besieged Strip. Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed Dahdouh’s wife, son, daughter and infant grandson as they sheltered in a temporary house in the south of Gaza, which Israel had claimed is a safe zone.
“Had this happened to an Israeli journalist, the ‘civilised’ world would now be shedding tears condemning the ‘barbaric’ Palestinians. But of course the victims are just Palestinians, so I guess that’s ok; they’re used to it and there many of them anyhow!” Al Khater said.
So far, Israel has killed at least 6,546 Palestinians, including at least 2,704 children since it launched its most brutal campaign on the besieged Strip to date.
Al Khater also pointed to a list of examples of Israel’s targets since the beginning of the war on 7 October, which included last week’s attack on the Saint Porphyrius Church, the oldest in Gaza.
“Saint Porphyrius was founded in the 5th century and was rebuilt 800 years ago. Prior to the Saint Porphyrius attack and only 300 meters from the targeted Room Orthodox Church, the Baptist hospital was also targeted by an Israeli airstrike,” Al Khater explained.
The Qatari official was referring to the 17 October massacre at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza, in which at least 500 Palestinians seeking treatment and shelter were killed in a single strike.
“Gaza hosts around 17 monasteries and churches, and like mosques, hospitals and schools, all of them are under attack. Please pretend that these were not Palestinians, please pretend that all humans are born equal, please pretend that we are humans in the first place, and REACT!” Al Khater appealed in her post.
Israel has continued to act with impunity while enjoying the backing of its western allies, namely the United States, which has vetoed several UN resolutions for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire. Over the last 20 days, the IOF has targeted hospitals, residential buildings, schools, first responders, and journalists.
On Wednesday night, the Israeli army radio claimed its tanks briefly entered northern Gaza as part of plans to carry out an all-out ground invasion. At the same time, the IOF intensified its attacks on the West Bank, especially the Jenin refugee camp.
Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the IOF has detained more than 1,400 Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israeli attacks on Al Jazeera
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera condemned the killing of its correspondent’s family and extended “its sincere condolences and sympathy” to the grieving journalist.
“The indiscriminate assault by the Israeli Occupation forces resulted in the tragic loss of his wife, son, and daughter, while the rest of his family is buried under the rubble,” the Qatar-based network said in a statement.
It also confirmed that the home in the Nuseirat camp was where Dahdouh’s family “had sought refuge after being displaced by the initial bombardment in their neighbourhood, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for all civilians to move south.”
“Al Jazeera is deeply concerned about the safety, and well-being of our colleagues in Gaza and hold the Israeli authorities responsible for their security. The Network strongly condemns the indiscriminate targeting and killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, which has led to the loss of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family and countless others,” the statement added.
The network also urged “the international community to intervene and put an end to these attacks on civilians, thereby safeguarding innocent lives.”
Targeted killings?
Dahdouh has been at the forefront of Al Jazeera’s coverage on Israel’s war on Gaza, providing round the clock updates despite the harrowing circumstances on the ground. The veteran journalist was reporting live on Al Jazeera when he was notified about the tragic news.
Footage that emerged online on Wednesday evening showed him cradling a toddler and later bidding farewell to his son who was laying in a white shroud at a hospital.
Speaking outside the facility on Wednesday evening, Dahdouh suggested his family were targeted for his work.
“What just happened is clear; it’s part of the ongoing targeting of women and children in Gaza. I was just reporting on the Israeli strikes that have targeted the Nuseirat area.”
He added: “We knew the Israeli occupation would not leave us without punishing us. They are taking out their revenge onto the children. But our tears are human, not out of cowardice,” he added.
Over the years, Al Jazeera has been subjected to various deliberate attacks by Israel for its detailed and impartial coverage of the violence committed by the IOF against Palestinians, including the latest war on Gaza.
Unlike other renowned media outlets that have been accused of parroting the Israeli narrative, Al Jazeera explicitly details the suffering of millions of Palestinians through its reporters and journalists on the ground.
The killing of Dahdouh’s family comes amid reported plans by Israel to shut down Al Jazeera’s local bureau for its coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza.
Last week, Middle East Eye cited Israeli media on an alleged approval of Israel’s attorney general’s request to shut down the Qatar-based broadcaster.
The reports said that attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi had reached an agreement on the wording of “emergency regulations” that would ban the Qatari outlet’s operations.
A separate report pointed to an emergency Israeli cabinet meeting on the matter in which Karhi sought to approve the closure of Al Jazeera’s coverage in Israel. Reports at the time suggested that Israeli security officials had vetted the proposal.
The Qatari-based Al Jazeera network has yet to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said it was “difficult to believe” that the IOF’s attack on Dahdouh’s family was random.
“We find it difficult to believe that this was random as Israel has been trying to stop the truth coming out from Gaza. These kinds of attacks amount to employing terror tactics against journalists to silence them,” Altun said in a post on X.
He added: “It is no longer possible for Israel to shape the international public opinion while the whole world is witnessing the massacres and horrors in Gaza. PR campaigns cannot cover up the brutality of killing civilians with no regard to international law.”
Notably, the killing of Dahdouh’s family occurred hours after Al Jazeera welcomed the findings of the Independent International Investigative Committee of the United Nations, which recognised that the IOF used “lethal force without justification” when they shot and killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last year.
“Al Jazeera Media Network welcomed the findings of the Independent International Investigative Committee of the United Nations in connection to the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera correspondent in Palestine. Based on these findings, the Network is calling to take swift action to ensure justice for her and hold her killers accountable,” the network’s statement read.
The UN body called for full cooperation from the Israeli regime in the US investigation into the killing of Abu Akleh, who was an American citizen.
