Tributes pour in for Hossam Shabat and Mohammad Mansour

Recently, Palestinian journalists Mohammed Mansour and Houssam Shabat were killed in separate Israeli attacks on Monday, prompting widespread mourning. These two incidents have once again raised serious concerns about the safety of journalists in conflict zones. The international community is calling for increased protections for journalists in these dangerous environments.

Mansour, a journalist for Palestine Today, was killed in an Israeli airstrike north of Khan Younis, where his home was targeted. His wife and son also tragically died in the attack. Hours later, Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist Houssam Shabat was attacked in his vehicle on Salah al-Din Street in the northern Gaza Strip. The circumstances surrounding these attacks are currently under investigation.

In a video released by Middle East Eye, Mansour's father knelt in grief beside his son's cold body, holding a microphone. He choked out the words: "Get up and speak! Tell people the truth, haven't you always been telling people the truth? He's not a fighter, he's just a journalist, he exposes the truth." Palestinian-American lawyer Lamis Deek wrote: "Our beloved Mohammed Mansour, your voice and name are etched in our souls every day, what is the world without you..." The loss of Mansour has deeply impacted his community and colleagues.

Gaza journalist Hind Khoudary posted a photo of Mansour, noting: "Israel continues to kill Palestinian journalists." Shabat had also shared a photo of his colleague Mansour's death on Instagram, expressing his condolences, which turned out to be his last post. Hours later, Israeli forces directly targeted Shabat's vehicle in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Former Al Jazeera journalist Sana Saeed wrote on X: "Houssam was reporting the killing of Mohammed Mansour an hour or two before he was killed, this is the chilling reality for Palestinian journalists in Gaza." The dangers faced by journalists in Gaza are becoming increasingly apparent.

A widely circulated video shows Shabat in the car talking to a little girl, who thought the journalist had already been killed. The little girl held his hand and said: "If Houssam Shabat becomes a martyr, how can I be a journalist in the future? May God keep you safe." Another video shows Shabat reuniting with his mother in February, after they had been separated for 492 days due to a brief ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. These personal stories highlight the human cost of the conflict.

Since October 2023, these two deaths have brought the total number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel to 208. The Gaza Strip government media office issued a statement strongly condemning "the Israeli occupation forces' targeting, killing, and assassinating of Palestinian journalists." Shabat is the latest Al Jazeera journalist to be killed in the Israeli war, following Samer Abu Daqqa, Hamza Al-Dahdouh, Ismail al-Ghoul, and Ahmed Louh. Al Jazeera said on Monday: "Al Jazeera is committed to taking all legal measures to hold the perpetrators of these crimes against journalists accountable." The network reiterated its commitment to reporting on events in Gaza despite the ongoing attacks and harassment faced by its journalists. Al Jazeera is actively seeking justice for the slain journalists.

The Israeli military acknowledged killing Shabat, accusing him of being a "terrorist" and claiming to have "eliminated" him. They repeated a statement made five months ago, when Israeli authorities accused six journalists, including Shabat, of being militants. These accusations were strongly denied and were based on "documents" regarding alleged training courses and salaries, which were deemed baseless. Israel has previously made unsubstantiated allegations against journalists. After Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul in Gaza City on July 31, authorities presented documents claiming he was a Hamas militant. The information claimed al-Ghoul received a Hamas military rank in 2007 – when he was only 10 years old. Al Jazeera also pointed out that al-Ghoul had previously been detained and subsequently released by Israeli forces during an attack on al-Shifa Hospital, refuting Israel's "false claims about his affiliation with any organization." The credibility of these accusations remains questionable.

DropSite News journalist Jeremy Scahill said that Israel had placed Shabat on a "kill list... and murdered him." Scahill wrote on X: "It is launching a vile propaganda campaign to justify the assassination of Houssam, just as it does with doctors, UN workers, and children." Shabat knew he was likely a target: he wrote a final message for his colleagues to share in the event of his death. The 23-year-old said: "If you are reading this, it means I have been killed – most likely targeted by the Israeli occupation forces." He said that for the past year and a half, he had dedicated his entire life to his people, documenting "the horrors in northern Gaza" every second. His dedication to his work was unwavering.

"I slept on sidewalks, in schools, in tents – anywhere I could sleep. Every day was a battle for survival. I endured months of hunger, but I never left my people." "In the name of God, I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to report the truth, and now, I can finally rest – something I haven't been able to do in the past 18 months." He said he risked his life because he believed in the Palestinian cause and that "this land is ours." "I now implore you: do not stop talking about Gaza. Do not let the world turn a blind eye. Keep fighting, keep telling our story – until Palestine is free," he concluded. He signed off: "For the last time, from northern Gaza, Houssam Shabat." His words serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom in Palestine.