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March 24, 2025 – Palestine/Israel –
On March 24, 2025, 23-year-old Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Hossam Shabat was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his vehicle in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. Shabat was en route to the Indonesian Hospital for a live broadcast when the strike occurred.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Shabat was a Hamas sniper operating under the guise of a journalist, alleging his affiliation with the Beit Hanoun Battalion. However, Al Jazeera and press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have vehemently denied these accusations. RSF condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on a journalist and part of a broader pattern of targeting media workers in Gaza.
Shabat’s death adds to the mounting toll on journalists in the region. Since the onset of the conflict in October 2023, over 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza, making it the deadliest period for media workers in recent history. Al Jazeera has lost multiple correspondents during this time, including Samer Abu Daqa, Hamza Al-Dahdouh, Ismail Al-Ghoul, and Ahmed Al-Louh.
Shabat was known for his courageous reporting from the front lines, often documenting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza under perilous conditions. In a farewell message shared on social media before his death, he expressed his commitment to conveying the truth and urged the international community not to overlook the suffering in Gaza.
His funeral in Beit Hanoun was attended by grieving family, friends, and colleagues, highlighting the profound loss felt by the journalistic community. The incident has intensified calls from international organizations for independent investigations into the targeting of journalists and for greater protections for media personnel operating in conflict zones
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