Israel Claims Al Jazeera Journalist Killed In Gaza Strike Was 'Hamas Terrorist'

Last Updated:April 09, 2026, 16:09 IST

Israel says slain Al Jazeera reporter Mohammed Wishah was a Hamas militant, Al Jazeera and RSF condemn his killing as a deliberate attack on journalists in Gaza.

The Israeli military on Thursday claimed that Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah, killed a day earlier in an IDF strike in Gaza, was a Hamas militant who had “operated under the guise of a journalist".

On Wednesday, the Qatar-based broadcaster said in a statement that it strongly condemned “the heinous crime of targeting and killing Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah, following a strike on the vehicle in which he was travelling west of the Gaza Strip".

The channel said the killing was “not a random act but a deliberate and targeted crime intended to intimidate journalists", adding that it “holds Israeli occupation forces fully responsible".

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) echoed the condemnation, saying Wishah’s name joined “those of the more than 220 journalists killed in two and a half years by the Israeli forces in Gaza, at least 70 of whom were killed in the context of performing their duties".

The Israeli military on Thursday said its forces had a day earlier “struck and eliminated" Wishah, whom it described as “a key terrorist in Hamas’ rocket and weapons production headquarters, who had been planning terrorist attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the area".

It said Wishah had “operated under the guise of an Al Jazeera journalist, exploiting this identity in order to advance terrorist activities against IDF forces and the State of Israel".

Despite a ceasefire being in effect in Gaza since October, violence has continued in the Palestinian territory and both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of truce violations.

News world Israel Claims Al Jazeera Journalist Killed In Gaza Strike Was 'Hamas Terrorist'

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