The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) assassinated Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul and photographer Rami Al-Rifi today, Wednesday, in a bombing that targeted them while they were in their car in Gaza City.
Ismail Al-Ghoul was assassinated after he and his team responded to the request to evacuate the site, where his car was bombed by the occupation after he left the site, killing him and the accompanying photographer Rami al-Rifi on the road.
Ismail Al-Ghoul’s wife and only daughter will not be able to bid farewell to him, because they are in the central areas of the Strip, and they have not seen him for about 8 months.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Jihad Al-Ghoul (the brother of journalist Ismail) said that the occupation targets those who tell the truth and convey the image of the suffering of the people in the Gaza Strip.
He added that the IOF assassinated his brother while he was conveying the truth, stressing that he has no message to the world, because “the world has not taken any action to stop the ongoing massacre in Gaza for months.”
Al Jazeera Network strongly condemned the assassination of its correspondent in Gaza, Ismail Al-Ghoul, and photographer Rami Al-Rifi.
Al Jazeera Network pledged to take legal action to prosecute the killers of its journalists, calling for urgent action to stop the ongoing crimes of the occupation against journalists and media professionals in Gaza.
It affirmed its commitment to achieving justice for its journalists, and for more than 160 journalists killed in Gaza since the outbreak of the war.
It added that the occupation deliberately targeted Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi during field coverage from the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, with a guided missile.
It stressed that this crime is added to the series of crimes that Al Jazeera journalists and their families have been subjected to in Gaza since last October.
It stressed that Ismail Al-Ghoul’s coverage was distinguished by professionalism and expertise, and he was known for his commitment to conveying the truth despite the risks, noting that his reports showed the world the suffering of the people of Gaza and the atrocities of the occupation against them.
It added that Ismail’s coverage of the invasion of Al-Shifa Complex and the northern neighborhoods received wide attention and was broadcast by international agencies and channels, noting that Ismail continued to cover the situation despite the challenges of hunger, illness, and the loss of his father and brother, in order to convey the truth through Al Jazeera.
Throughout the Israeli war on Gaza, Ismail Al-Ghoul had transmitted scenes of major events in the Strip, and many massacres and crimes that he was able to cover extensively and quickly from one place to another.
Since the beginning of the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation on the Strip, the occupation has targeted Al Jazeera crews. Last January, journalist Hamza Al-Dahdouh (son of Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh) was killed in an Israeli bombardment that targeted journalists west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera photographer Samer Abu Daqqa was also killed in an Israeli bombardment last December in Khan Yunis.
Last February, Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Abu Omar and photographer Ahmed Matar were injured in an Israeli bombardment in the Miraj area north of Rafah city.
Since October 7, The Israeli occupation forces have been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving tens of thousands dead and wounded, and widespread destruction to the infrastructure of the Strip.
The Israeli aggression on Gaza constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, as it puts the lives of civilians, including journalists and media professionals, at grave risk, and causes them great suffering.
The crimes of the occupation against journalists require the international community and human rights organisations to take action to prosecute the Israeli occupation and hold it accountable for these crimes.
