Al Jazeera and Palestinian authorities have confirmed that journalist "Mohammed Visha" died after an Israeli drone attacked a car in western Gaza. Al Jazeera condemned it as a targeted killing intended to intimidate the press, while the Israeli military claimed the deceased was a Hamas member.
Al Jazeera and Palestinian health officials reported that Mohammed Visha, a reporter for Al Jazeera Mubasher TV, was killed on Wednesday (8 Apr) after the Israeli military sent a drone to strike the vehicle he was traveling in near the Sheikh Ajleen area in western Gaza Strip.
The incident caused great chaos, with footage showing many Palestinians surrounding the smoking wreckage of the car before Visha’s body was taken to Al-Shifa Hospital amid mourning from colleagues and the public paying tribute.
A statement from the Al Jazeera media network said, "This is a heinous crime. The killing of Visha was no accident but a deliberate attempt to intimidate journalists from doing their work." The network vowed to pursue full legal action to bring the perpetrators to justice and called for accountability for all journalists killed.
Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesperson responded by accusing Visha of being a Hamas member, citing past information that he once held a senior command position in Hamas’s anti-tank missile unit. However, the Israeli military has not provided further explanation about this latest strike when asked by AFP.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) revealed that since the war began in October 2023, over 220 journalists and media personnel have been killed in Gaza, with at least 70 dying while actively reporting.
This event occurred amid ongoing tensions in Gaza, despite a US-backed ceasefire declared since last October. Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the agreement, and Israel continues to target individuals identified as Hamas members.