‘Deliberate and targeted’: Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah killed in Israeli drone strike in Gaza

Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah was killed in an Israeli drone strike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Wishah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, died after a drone targeted the car he was travelling in along al-Rashid Street, a key coastal road west of Gaza City. The strike set the vehicle on fire, according to sources cited by the network.

His death comes amid continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, where media organisations and local authorities say journalists have increasingly been targeted since the war began in October 2023. The Gaza Government Media Office claims that at least 262 journalists have been killed in Israeli strikes during this period.

In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the killing, calling it a “deliberate and targeted crime” and a serious violation of international law. The network said Wishah, who joined in 2018, was killed while carrying out his professional duties, describing the incident as part of a broader pattern aimed at silencing journalists.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera said the attack highlights worsening conditions and continued violations of the ceasefire. Officials in Gaza allege that Israeli forces have carried out around 2,000 violations since the truce came into effect.

The media office described the killing as part of the “systematic targeting” of Palestinian journalists and urged international organisations to condemn the attacks and take action. Since October 2023, more than 72,000 people have been killed and over 171,000 injured in Gaza, according to local authorities. Even after the ceasefire, at least 733 people have been killed and over 2,000 injured in continued strikes.