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November 28, 2024 – Palestine/Israel –
Al Jazeera journalist Talal Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Aruki, one of six correspondents named by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in October 2024 as alleged militants, was wounded in Gaza, further highlighting the peril faced by media professionals in the region.
In a statement circulated on social media, IDF claimed Aruki and five others were embedded with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad—labels that Al Jazeera firmly rejects as baseless and dangerous misinformation. The network argues these false allegations are being used to justify targeting its journalists and suppressing independent reporting in Gaza.
Aruki was injured during an Israeli military operation in northern Gaza. Details on the timing and severity of his wounds remain limited, but the incident occurred amid sustained bombardment that has resulted in the deaths and injuries of numerous civilians and media workers.
The targeting of journalists in Gaza has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom groups. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned Israel’s unverified claims and warned against their use to legitimize attacks, pointing to past incidents—such as contradictory IDF documents tied to the killing of reporter Ismail Al Ghoul—as evidence of faulty justification. CPJ asserts that interactions between journalists and various actors are part of normal reporting practice and should not be criminalized.
In the broader context, Gaza has seen an alarming toll on journalists since the war’s escalation in October 2023. Al Jazeera reports that at least 180 of its journalists have been killed, and CPJ documents that over 170 media professionals have died across all outlets, marking the conflict as the deadliest in recent history for the press
Despite facing grave danger, local and international journalists like Aruki continue reporting under fire, delivering critical insights from frontline areas where foreign press are barred. Their courage, however, places them squarely in the crosshairs of military operations and state narratives.
Reference –
https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1858470
