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Qatar Press Center Condemns the Assassination of Journalist and His Family in Gaza

The Qatar Press Center strongly condemns the assassination of Saeed Abu Hassanein, a journalist with Al-Aqsa Radio, along with his wife and daughter, by an Israeli drone strike that directly targeted their tent on Al-Bi’ah Street in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

The Center affirms that the Israeli occupation continues its systematic war crimes and acts of genocide against journalists and media workers in Gaza by bombing their work locations and homes, in an attempt to silence the Palestinian narrative, suppress free media, and erase the truth.

The Center calls on the international community, as well as international, human rights, and media organizations, to condemn the targeting of journalists in Gaza and to take urgent action to ensure their protection and safety, especially in the face of the continued lack of accountability for Israeli war crimes against journalists and media professionals.

The Center also urges the international community to pursue legal action, including the prosecution of Israeli occupation forces before international judicial bodies, and to pressure Israel to end these unprecedented violations against journalists. It further stresses the importance of pressuring Israel to release detained journalists held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions that deprive them of even the most basic rights guaranteed to prisoners under international laws and conventions.

In mid-April, the Center issued an international appeal through official letters to organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists, and Human Rights Watch, calling for the protection of journalists and accountability for perpetrators.

The letters stated:
"In the face of this unprecedented and ongoing assault on journalists and media professionals—who have become direct targets of the Israeli killing machine—the Qatar Press Center appeals to UN, human rights, and press/media organizations to take responsibility and act urgently to stop the bloodshed and provide legal and logistical protection for journalists in the Palestinian territories."

Erasing the Truth
Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli drone bombed the tent of journalist Saeed Abu Hassanein on Al-Bi’ah Street in Deir al-Balah while he was with his wife and daughter.

Al-Aqsa Radio mourned the death of journalist Saeed Abu Hassanein in a statement, saying:
“Our martyr joined the field of media nearly twenty years ago, dedicating his career to radio work and its development. He rose as a martyr after a rich journey in the field of sound engineering and radio mixing.”

The statement added:
“The criminal Israeli occupation army, through its targeting of Palestinian journalists and media workers, proves its failure to break the will of our people or silence our narrative—which will never disappear.”

Al-Aqsa Radio concluded:
“We remain true to our promise, Saeed, and to all the martyrs of truth and its champions. Al-Aqsa Radio, along with the pioneers of purposeful Palestinian media and the journalistic community, will continue on the path of Saeed and his fellow martyr, wounded, and imprisoned journalists.”

Since the beginning of the genocide waged by Israel on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the occupation army has deliberately targeted journalists, resulting in the killing of 216 journalists and the injury of hundreds more, according to official sources.