On December 15, Samer abu Daqqa, سامر أبو دقة, a 45 y/o camera operator for Al-Jazeera Arabic since 2004, was killed by a drone strike while covering the aftermath of nightly Israeli strikes on a United Nations school -Farahana School- sheltering displaced people in the center of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to Al-Jazeera and Reuters news agency.

He was the father of 3 kids. His family lives in Belgium. He refused to leave Gaza despite the danger. He would say: "I won’t leave, one day my family will return to Gaza too."

Circumstances

His colleague, Al-Jazeera bureau chief Wael Al Dahdouh, whose wife and children were killed in an Israeli air raid on 25 October, was wounded in the arm and waist in the same strike as Abu Daqqa. But while Al-Dahdouh was able to be transported to the hospital, Abu Daqqa was unable to be moved for medical care and could not be reached for hours by first responders, according to Israel’s Foreign Press Association. He was trapped with other injured people in the school, which was surrounded by Israeli forces, and was unable to be evacuated for treatment. According Al Jazeera, "Following Samer's injury, he was left to bleed to death for over five hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment" .

Reconstruction of his last day by the “Gaza Project,” by Forbidden Stories

On December 15, 2023, Al Jazeera journalist Samer Abu Daqqa was killed in an Israeli drone strike while covering events in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. He was filming near Farhana School when the attack occurred, killing him and three others, including Civil Defense crew members. Despite being injured, Abu Daqqa tried to crawl to safety but was hit by a second missile. His camera was destroyed, and his body showed signs of multiple injuries. The team had been documenting the devastation in Gaza and had coordinated with the Israeli army for access to the area.

Chronology and Key Facts:

December 15, 2023:

Morning: Samer Abu Daqqa (Al Jazeera journalist) and Wael al-Dahdouh (Al Jazeera bureau chief) arrive in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, to cover the destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes. They are accompanied by Civil Defense crews, including Nour Saqr and Hosni Nabhan. At 9:30 AM: Satellite images show a smoke cloud, likely from an explosion, about 700 meters from the location the journalists plan to cover. At 10:00 AM: The team reaches the Farhana Girls’ Secondary School, which has been empty due to the war. They film the surrounding destruction. After nearly two hours of filming, the journalists and Civil Defense crew head out to a new area. They are targeted by an Israeli drone strike near the Farhana School.

The attack kills four people: Samer Abu Daqqa, Nour Saqr, Hosni Nabhan, and Rami Badir. Wael al-Dahdouh is injured but survives.

Abu Daqqa is severely wounded, with injuries to his legs, eye, and right side. His camera is destroyed.

Afternoon: Wael al-Dahdouh, despite his injuries, manages to walk to Civil Defense vehicles for help. He is rushed to Nasser Hospital while the rescue team attempts to retrieve Abu Daqqa’s body.

Evening: Civil Defense crews are unable to return to retrieve Abu Daqqa’s body until five hours later, as they wait for Israeli military approval. When they finally find him, his body shows signs of multiple injuries, and his bulletproof vest marked "Press" is found several meters away from him. His body is discovered near the rubble of the Palestinian Production Bank, indicating he had crawled to safety before being hit by a second missile.

Statements :

The Israeli army pretends it approved a route for a Palestinian ambulance to access the scene but the medical van chose another route and was blocked.

The FPA said the 45-year-old father of four, who had worked for Al Jazeera since 2004, was its first member to be killed in Gaza in the war. “We consider this a grave blow to the already limited freedom of the press in Gaza and call on the army for a prompt investigation and explanation,”

Al Jazeera said it “deems this incident a deliberate attempt to target its correspondents and their families in the besieged Gaza Strip”. Al Jazeera managing editor Mohamed Moawad said: “His unwavering commitment to truth and storytelling has left an indelible mark on our team. Samer, whose lens captured the raw and unfiltered reality of life in Gaza, was not just a skilled professional but a compassionate soul who understood the power of visual storytelling. His courage in the face of adversity allowed the world to witness the untold stories of a region grappling with complex challenges. In the pursuit of truth, our cameraman faced immense risks to bring viewers a deeper understanding of the human experience in Gaza. His lens became a window into the lives of those affected by conflict, shedding light on stories that needed to be told.”

On December 17, Al Jazeera claims preparing a legal file to send to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over what it called "the assassination" of one of its cameramen in Gaza.

According to Belgian media VRT, Yazan, the son of Samer Abu Daqqa, who lives in Belgium gave an interview to the media, stating that he and his family wish to file a complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court.

Name of the martyrs :

• Samer Abu Daqqa (Journalist)
• Nour Saqr (Civile Defense Staff)
• Hosni Nabhan (Civile Defense Staff)
• Rami Badir (Civile Defense Staff)

The journalist Wael al-Dahdouh is injured but survives.

Funerals :

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