Al Jazeera journalist grieves loss of 3 generations of his family in Gaza - Action News
Home WebMail Friday, November 22, 2024, 02:37 PM | Calgary | -10.4°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
World

Al Jazeera journalist grieves loss of 3 generations of his family in Gaza

A prominent journalist in the Gaza Strip attended a funeralfor multiple members of his immediate family on Thursday and returned to air, just a dayafter his loved oneslost their lives in a reported Israeli airstrike in the besieged territory.

Wael Dahdouh lost wife, a son, daughter and grandson in reported Israeli airstrike

Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief returns to air after wife, 2 children killed

11 months ago
Duration 0:26
Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, lost several family members after an Israeli airstrike hit an area where his family was taking shelter. The Israel Defense Force acknowledged it did carry out an airstrike in that area and it had been targeting what it called 'Hamas terrorist infrastructure.'

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE.

A prominent journalist in the Gaza Strip attended a funeralfor multiple members of his immediate family on Thursday and returned to air, just a dayafter his loved ones were killedin a reported Israeli airstrike in the besieged territory.

Wael Dahdouh lost his wife, as well as a son, a daughter and a grandson, in whatAl Jazeera reported wasan Israeli airstrike that hit Nuseiratrefugee camp in Gaza.Anotherson, Yehia, was seriously wounded.

An Israel Defence Forcesspokesperson told CNN that "regarding this specific case, the IDF targeted Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the area."

WaelDahdouh is Al Jazeera'sbureau chief in Gaza, wherehe has long covered conflict.

But the death of his loved ones wasboth a tragic and personal story, which he was at the centre of.

Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh, centre, prays over the bodies of several close family members who died in a reported Israeli airstrike.
Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh, centre, prays over the bodies of his wife, son, daughter and grandson, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp, outside a hospital in Deir al Balah, south of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday. (Ali Mahmoud/The Associated Press)

Al Jazeera showed footage on Wednesday of Dahdouh entering Gaza's al-Aqsa hospital and seeing the body of his dead son."They take vengeance on us through our children?" he sobbed.

While returning to air on Thursday, Dahdouh thanked those watching for their prayers in the wake of the deaths of his family members.

Dahdouh's family were among the more than onemillion residents of Gaza who have been displaced from their homesamid theongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

The current conflict erupted after Hamas launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. In response, Israeli forces have bombarded targets across Gaza, in a bid to topple Hamas and its infrastructure.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel most of whom died in the initial Hamas attacks according to the Israeli government. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says that as of Thursday, some 7,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict.

CBC News is unable to independently verify the casualty figures being reported.

A man wearing a Press jacket stands over an injured child on a stretcher.
Dahdouh stands next to his injured son at the hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)

With files from The Associated Press and Reuters