Israeli Strike Kills Jazeera Journalist: Okay, so Israel just confirmed they killed an Al Jazeera journalist, Hossam Shabat, in Gaza. They’re saying he was a “sniper terrorist” for Hamas. Big accusation. But Al Jazeera and media watchdogs? They’re calling it out as another targeted killing of a journalist.
This happened on Monday. Shabat was in his car in northern Gaza when an Israeli strike hit. Boom. Gone. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is straight-up calling this part of an ongoing “massacre of journalists” in Gaza. Not subtle at all.
The Israeli military, along with Shin Bet (their security agency), put out a joint statement. They’re saying Shabat wasn’t just a journalist—he was also a fighter for Hamas’s Beit Hanun Battalion. According to them, they had intel from October 2024 proving his “direct affiliation” with Hamas’s military wing.
What Al Jazeera and RSF Are Saying
Al Jazeera, not surprisingly, isn’t buying it. They’re calling Shabat a journalist, period. They say he was killed in an Israeli airstrike while doing his job. RSF is backing them up, saying that the accusations from last year don’t justify killing him now. Basically, “Old documents don’t prove he was a threat.”
Israel, though, says they’ve got internal Hamas documents showing Shabat took part in military training back in 2019. So, they’re doubling down on their claim that he wasn’t just a journalist.
The Bigger Picture—Press Under Fire
RSF is going off about this. They say Israel has already killed nearly 200 journalists in 15 months—at least 43 of them while actively working. And now, with airstrikes ramping up again in Gaza, things are looking even worse for reporters trying to cover the situation.
Israel, on the other hand, has been repeatedly accusing Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being linked to militant groups. They’ve even suspended Al Jazeera’s broadcasts. But Al Jazeera keeps pushing back, saying Israel is deliberately targeting their journalists.
Meanwhile, the numbers in Gaza are brutal. Since March 18, when Israel resumed bombings, 792 people have been killed—62 just in the last 24 hours.
At this point, journalists on the ground aren’t just covering the war. They’re in the war. And based on what RSF is saying, they’re also in serious danger of being targeted next.
A Pattern of Targeting Journalists?
This isn’t the first time Israel has been accused of attacking journalists in Gaza. Al Jazeera’s offices were bombed in 2021, and other reporters have been killed or injured in past conflicts. RSF says there’s a clear pattern, and they’re calling for international investigations. Israel, of course, denies any wrongdoing.
With international pressure mounting, there are growing calls for accountability. But will anything actually happen? That’s the big question. So far, Israel has faced little consequence for journalist deaths in Gaza, and media groups fear this cycle will just keep repeating.
