The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said a precision air strike in the central Gaza Strip killed Ahmed Samir Muhammad Washah, a 25‑year‑old resident of Gaza, whom it described as a Hamas terrorist who also worked as a photojournalist for Al Jazeera. The operation also eliminated two other Hamas operatives, including Sabai Zaher Abd al‑Hamid Abu Hasna, identified as a Nukhba commando in Hamas' military wing.
According to the IDF, Washah was involved in planning sniper attacks and other hostile activities against Israeli troops operating in Gaza. The military said the strike was part of an intensified defensive campaign targeting Hamas personnel.
Al Jazeera has denied any affiliation between its staff and terrorist groups and condemned the killing of a journalist. The network published an obituary for Washah that highlighted his work as a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher and his role in filming alongside his late brother, an Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent killed on 8 April. The obituary made no reference to his alleged Hamas membership and accused Israel of deliberately targeting a working journalist.
Israel has repeatedly asserted that a significant number of individuals presenting themselves as journalists in Gaza are, in fact, militants. It claims that at least half a dozen Al Jazeera employees and more than 150 other people fit this description. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York‑based advocacy group, has quietly removed several names from its widely cited list of journalists killed in Gaza. At least six entries were deleted without comment, including a member of Hamas' Jabalia Battalion, a combatant for Islamic Jihad, and a commander in the Nasser Salah Al‑Din Brigades.
Critics have long accused Al Jazeera of being sympathetic to extremist groups. The network has been described as having served as a repository for al Qaeda hostage and beheading videos during the second Gulf war, an allegation it rejects.