Palestinian journalists have paid tribute to their Al Jazeera colleague Ahmed Wishah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on central Gaza\u2019s Bureij refugee camp. He is the 12th Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israel in Gaza, which has become the deadliest place for journalists in the world.<\/p>\n
Wishah, 25, was killed on Saturday, weeks after his brother Mohammed, who also worked for the Doha-based network, was killed in deliberate Israeli shelling of his car.<\/p>\n
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
At least 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed since Israel launched its genocidal war in October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.<\/p>\n
Who was Wishah, and what has Israel said about his killing?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we know:<\/p>\n
Who was Wishah?<\/p>\n
Born in the Bureij refugee camp, Ahmed Samir Mohammed Wishah was the youngest of three brothers. He worked as a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher.<\/p>\n
The journalist was killed when an Israeli air attack hit a house. Two other Palestinians were also killed in the strike as Israel has continued its attacks despite an October \u201cceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wishah gained prominence during the Gaza war by accompanying and filming footage for his late brother, an Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent killed on April 8.<\/p>\n
Together, they formed a media duo that documented the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unfolding events of the war.<\/p>\n
In an interview after his brother\u2019s death, Wishah called on the world to stop the killing of journalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the martyrdom of Mohammed Wishah be the end to the killing of journalists. This is my message to the world. Someone should stop the occupation from targeting journalists. That\u2019s our only message: Stop the Israeli occupation from targeting journalists,\u201d Ahmed said in April.<\/p>\n
Ahmed\u2019s dedication to his brother extended far beyond his journalistic duties.<\/p>\n
After Mohammed\u2019s death, he also took care of his late brother\u2019s children and took on additional responsibilities within their family.<\/p>\n
What have colleagues said about him?<\/p>\n
Talal Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent in Gaza, recalled his close ties with the two brothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known Ahmed since the beginning of the war. He was always present, accompanying his brother Mohammed in the tent where he stayed,\u201d Mahmoud said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven our shared work, we frequently gathered in that tent at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital or al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp, exchanging thoughts and discussing the details of our coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became not just a friend but a colleague at the same channel. He would often accompany me on assignments, documenting the events we covered throughout the long months of this war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mahmoud also shared a poignant story from just days before Ahmed\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy last encounter with Ahmed was a few days ago when he told us his mother wanted to prepare a meal in memory of his martyred brother, Mohammed. He brought us maftoul [a traditional Palestinian dish], saying, \u2018This is from my mother, a mercy offering for the soul of my brother Mohammed. Please pray for him.’\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ate until we were full, and we prayed fervently for Mohammed\u2019s mercy and forgiveness,\u201d Mahmoud reflected.<\/p>\n
Speaking from a cemetery in Bureij, Khaled al-Shatli, also an Al Jazeera Mubasher cameraman, painted Ahmed as a gentle soul.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you talk about Ahmed Wishah, you are talking about a polite and highly moral young man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so well-spoken and possessed such beautiful manners. He would constantly joke with all the colleagues working alongside him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final days of Ahmed\u2019s life seemed to carry a farewell message, al-Shatli noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust yesterday, he was bidding farewell to his friends and family in the Bureij camp, taking photos with them in what felt like a final goodbye,\u201d he said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Recalling their last meeting on Friday, he added: \u201cI joked with him about his new clothes. He replied, \u2018It\u2019s an outfit I\u2019m not used to, but perhaps something inside me pushed me to wear it.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Mohammad al-Akhras, a photojournalist working with CGTN, the English-language news channel of state-run China Global Television Network, remembered Ahmed as \u201ca kind, gentle and deeply principled person who brought a cheerful spirit to his colleagues\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe worked with genuine passion, and his ultimate goal in his coverage was to convey the people\u2019s message and their suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always spoke of martyrdom and paradise. Whenever we jokingly asked him, \u2018Don\u2019t you want to get married? Don\u2019t you want us to celebrate you?\u2019 he would simply reply, \u2018My wedding will be in paradise.\u2019 He attained exactly what he asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs journalists, we walk this path of martyrdom because the Israeli targeting of the press has become a systematic routine,\u201d al-Akhras said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe occupation wants to assassinate the image, assassinate the truth and obscure reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Smearing of killed Palestinian journalists\u2019<\/p>\n
In a statement to the AFP news agency on Saturday, an Israeli military spokesman accused Ahmed Wishah, without providing evidence, of being a \u201cHamas terrorist\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Al Jazeera refuted that accusation as \u201cbaseless\u201d, saying the Israeli military has \u201crelentlessly spread false allegations\u201d against its staff to \u201cjustify its crimes against Al Jazeera journalists and cameramen in Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese attempts deceive no one and cannot obscure the truth witnessed by the world,\u201d the media network said, calling it a \u201csmear campaign\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Committee to Protect Journalists has previously condemned Israel\u2019s \u201csmearing of killed Palestinian journalists\u201d. The press freedom group said it had documented a pattern of Israel \u201caccusing journalists of being terrorists without producing credible evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n
In its statement on Saturday, Al Jazeera said it is determined \u201cto take every available legal measure to prosecute the perpetrators\u201d of the \u201ccrimes\u201d against its staff in Gaza.<\/p>\n
It added that it remains committed to covering events in the enclave despite the Israeli military\u2019s \u201cattempts to silence the voice of truth\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Palestinian journalists have paid tribute to their Al Jazeera colleague Ahmed Wishah, who was killed in an Israeli…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,46,44,47,43,48,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-504062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-israel","tag-israel-palestine-conflict","tag-middle-east","tag-news","tag-palestine","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}