‘Kind, principled’: Palestinian journalists remember slain Gaza journalist

Al Jazeera writer Ahmed Wishah was killed connected Saturday successful Gaza’s Bureij exile campy weeks aft his member Mohammed Wishah, who besides worked for the Doha-based Network, was killed successful a deliberate Israeli shelling connected his car.

Ahmed successful his mid-20s is the 12th Al Jazeera writer to person been killed by Israel successful Gaza, which has go the deadliest spot for journalists successful the world. At slightest 260 Palestinian journalists person been killed since Israel launched warfare successful October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect journalists.

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Ahmed, who worked arsenic a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed erstwhile an Israeli aerial onslaught deed a house. Two different Palestinians were besides killed successful the onslaught arsenic Israel has continued its attacks contempt the October 2025 ceasefire.

Who was Ahmed and what has Israel said astir his killing?

Here’s what we know:

Who was Ahmed?

Born successful the al-Bureij exile campy successful cardinal Gaza, Ahmed Samir Mohammed Wishah was the youngest of 3 brothers. He worked arsenic a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher.

Ahmed gained prominence during the Israeli warfare connected the Gaza Strip by accompanying and filming footage for his precocious brother, Al Jazeera Mubasher analogous Mohammed, who was killed connected April 8 successful Israeli shelling.

Together, they formed a media duo that documented the suffering of the Palestinian radical and the unfolding events of the war.

In an interrogation pursuing his brother’s death, Ahmed called connected the satellite to halt the sidesplitting of journalists.

“Let the martyrdom of Mohammed Wishah beryllium the extremity to the sidesplitting of journalists. This is my connection to the world. Someone should halt the concern from targeting journalists. That’s our lone message. Stop the Israeli concern from targeting journalists,” Ahmed had said successful April.

Ahmed’s dedication to his member extended acold beyond his journalistic duties.

After Mohammed’s decease helium besides took attraction of his precocious brother’s children and took connected further responsibilities with family.

What person colleagues said astir him?

Talal Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera Mubasher analogous successful Gaza, recalled his adjacent ties with the 2 brothers.

“I’ve known Ahmed since the opening of the war. He was ever present, accompanying his member Mohammed successful the structure wherever helium stayed,” Mahmoud said.

“Given our shared work, we often gathered successful that structure astatine Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital oregon Al-Awda Hospital successful Nuseirat camp, exchanging thoughts and discussing the details of our coverage.”

“My past brushwood with Ahmed was a fewer days agone erstwhile helium told america his parent wanted to hole a repast successful representation of his martyred brother, Mohammed. He brought america Maftoul [a accepted Palestinian dish], saying, ‘This is from my mother, a mercy offering for the psyche of my member Mohammed. Please commune for him.'”

“We ate until we were full, and we prayed fervently for Mohammed’s mercy and forgiveness,” Mahmoud reflected.

Mohammad Al-Akhras, a photojournalist moving with CGTN, the English-language quality transmission of state-run China Global Television Network remembered Ahmed arsenic “a kind, gentle, and profoundly principled idiosyncratic who brought a cheerful tone to his colleagues.”

“He worked with genuine passion, and his eventual extremity successful his sum was to convey the people’s connection and their suffering.”

“He ever spoke of martyrdom and paradise. Whenever we jokingly asked him, ‘Don’t you privation to get married? Don’t you privation america to observe you?’ helium would simply reply, ‘My wedding volition beryllium successful paradise.’ He attained precisely what helium asked for.”

“As journalists, we locomotion this way of martyrdom due to the fact that the Israeli targeting of the property has go a systematic routine,” Al-Akhras noted.

“The concern wants to assassinate the image, assassinate the truth, and obscure reality.”

‘Smearing of killed Palestinian journalists’

In a connection to the AFP quality bureau connected Saturday, an Israeli subject spokesperson made a akin allegation astir Ahmed Wishah, accusing him, without providing evidence, of being a “Hamas terrorist”.

But successful a statement, Al Jazeera refuted that accusation arsenic “baseless”, saying that the Israeli subject has “relentlessly dispersed mendacious allegations” against its unit to “justify its crimes against Al Jazeera journalists and cameramen successful Gaza”.

“These attempts deceive nary 1 and cannot obscure the information witnessed by the world,” the media web said, calling it a “smear campaign”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has antecedently condemned Israel’s “smearing of killed Palestinian journalists”, with the property state radical saying it had documented a signifier of Israel “accusing journalists of being terrorists without producing credible evidence”.

In its connection Saturday, Al Jazeera said it is determined “to instrumentality each disposable ineligible measurement to prosecute the perpetrators” of the “crimes” against its unit successful Gaza.

It added that it remains committed to covering events successful the enclave contempt the Israeli military’s “attempts to soundlessness the dependable of truth”.