Al Jazeera Journalist's Family, In Gaza "Safe Area", Die In Israeli Strike

Three members of Al Jazeera journalist Wael Al Dahdouh's family - his wife, son and daughter - were killed in an "Israeli air strike" on Gaza, the network said Wednesday in a live broadcast. Shortly before their deaths were confirmed Mr Dahdouh was, in fact, live on air reporting on Israeli strikes in the area.

"We note this breaking news that we transmit on the Al Jazeera network. A number of family members of our colleague, Wael Al Dahdouh were martyred, including his wife, son and daughter," an anchor said as he fought back tears, ".. in an Israel bombing that targeted (his) house ..."

"He was with us a little while ago... and he was reporting the bombing that targeted the area where a number of his family members were martyred," a tearful anchor said.

🇵🇸🇮🇱🚨‼️ “Al-Jazeera's host bursts into tears as he announces the news of the tragic murder of the son, daughter, wife and several grandchildren of his colleague Wael al-Dahdouh in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.”

EDIT: Subbed and added the video of the journalist.

RIP pic.twitter.com/u6lMdPkOsP

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) October 25, 2023

Speaking to the network after grieving over the death of his family members, Mr Dahdouh said, "... a big tragedy is perpetrated against women and children... no less than a calamity."

"Large numbers of people's houses (are being) bombarded. However, this is a custom of the Israeli occupation. (But), at the end of the day, we are on this land. This is our destiny... this is our destiny and this is our choice and this is our patience... and we won't deviate from this path."

Mr Dahdouh, 53, is well-known journalist who has covered armed conflicts in the area, was helping broadcast live images of the war in Gaza when he received the devastating news.

READ | Israel Finds Itself Increasingly Alone as Fury Grows Over Gaza

The Qatari broadcaster later aired visuals of a grief-stricken Mr Dahdouh at the morgue in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Palestine's Deir el-Balah, to see his 15-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.

His two-year-old grandson also died. Others, including an infant granddaughter, escaped.

Several other members are still missing, Al Jazeera has reported.

The family of Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh has been killed in an Israeli attack at the Al Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza, where they had forcibly evacuated to shelter from Israeli bombardments ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ya64Lgunbp

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 25, 2023

Also on Wednesday the network shared a video message from Mr Dahdouh's two older children, in which they begged the global community to "help us stay alive".

"Help us to stay alive" was their outcry to the world from Gaza.

Mahmoud, Al Jazeera Arabic's Wael Dahdouh son, joined by his sister Kholoud, sent a message to the world, days before Mahmoud, his mother, and younger sister Sham were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/HWJ8SjIpvx

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 25, 2023

The Israeli military has not yet commented on these deaths.

Mr Dahdouh's family are among the millions of civilians displaced by Israel's war on Gaza.

The broadcaster said Mr Dahdouh's family were in a temporary home after evacuating Gaza City following Israel's warning for residents to move south as its forces intensifies strikes on the Hamas.

His family was reportedly in the United Nations-recognised Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which was called a "safe area" by Israeli forces.

However, Tel Aviv has continued military strikes in this region and others in southern Gaza, spreading fear among the evacuees that they are just as vulnerable here as they were in their homes in the north.

Al Jazeera, which is owned by the Qatari state and is deeply critical of Israel's war, said it "strongly condemns the indiscriminate targeting and killing of innocent civilians in Gaza".

"The indiscriminate assault by Israeli Occupation forces resulted in the tragic loss of his (Mr Dahdouh's) wife, son and daughter, while the rest of his family is buried under rubble. We urge the international community to intervene and put an end to attacks on civilians..." the network said.

Israeli strikes have killed around 6,500 people in Gaza, a rise of more than 700 since Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The attacks come after a brutal terror strike by Hamas gunmen on October 7, in which over 1,400 people, including civilians, were killed.

READ | Why Israel Is Attacking South Gaza After Telling Civilians To Go There

An Israeli government bent on revenge called Hamas "the new ISIS" and vowed to destroy the group designated a 'terror organisation' by the United States and European Union, but Tel Aviv, which has bombed Gaza indiscriminately, is now under pressure to order a ceasefire to allow aid access.

READ | "All Hamas Members Are Dead Men Walking": Israel's Netanyahu

With input from agencies

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