<div dir="ltr"><font size="4"><b>Al Jazeera refutes ‘baseless’ Israeli allegations against Ismail al-Ghoul</b></font><p class="gmail-article__subhead"><em>During its war on Gaza, Israel has claimed its bombings of journalists and civilian targets were strikes against Hamas.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AFP__20240731__367Y82R__v2__HighRes__TopshotPalestinianIsraelConflictMedia-1722484186.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="Mourners and colleagues holding 'press' signs surround the body of Al-Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul, killed along with his cameraman Rami al-Refee in an Israeli strike during their coverage of Gaza's Al-Shati refugee camp, on July 31, 2024. - Al Jazeera condemned the killing of two of its journalists, calling the deaths a "cold-blooded assassination" in a statement. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)" width="423" height="282" style="margin-right: 25px;"></div>Mourners
and colleagues holding 'press' signs surround the body of Al-Jazeera
Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul in Gaza on July 31, 2024 [Omar
Al-Qatta/AFP]<div class="gmail-article-info-block"><div class="gmail-article-b-l"><div class="gmail-article-author-name"><span class="gmail-article-by">By </span><span class="gmail-article-author-name-item"><a class="gmail-author-link" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458">Al Jazeera Staff</a></span></div><div class="gmail-article-dates"><div class="gmail-date-simple gmail-css-1yjq2zp"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Published On 1 Aug 2024</span><span aria-hidden="true"> - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/1/al-jazeera-refutes-baseless-israeli-allegations-against-ismail-al-ghoul">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/1/al-jazeera-refutes-baseless-israeli-allegations-against-ismail-al-ghoul</a></font></div></div></div><div class="gmail-social-share-buttons"><div class="gmail-update-reading-list"></div></div></div><div class="gmail-update-reading-list"><span class="gmail-update-reading-list__tooltip" role="tooltip"></span></div><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2F2dqyh6"></a><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Al%20Jazeera%20refutes%20%E2%80%98baseless%E2%80%99%20Israeli%20allegations%20against%20Ismail%20al-Ghoul&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2F2dqyh6"></a><a class="gmail-social-share-button gmail-copylink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Copy link" href="https://aje.io/2dqyh6"></a><p>Al Jazeera has “strongly” rejected “baseless” Israeli allegations that the network’s correspondent <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/8/1/dear-ismail-al-ghoul-the-world-has-forgotten-us-we-wont-forget-you">Ismail al-Ghoul</a>, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza, was a Hamas operative.</p>
<p>The Doha-based network said on Thursday that the accusation, which
Israel presented without proof, is an attempt to justify the “deliberate
killing” of al-Ghoul and his companion cameraman, Rami al-Rif</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/31/al-jazeera-journalist-cameraman-killed-in-gaza-attack">two journalists</a> were killed in a direct Israeli air raid on their vehicle in the Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Al Jazeera Media Network said the accusation against al-Ghoul
“highlights Israel’s long history of fabrications and false evidence
used to cover up its heinous crimes”, underscoring that the country has
barred international journalists from entering Gaza.</p>
<p>“Furthermore, the Israeli occupation forces had previously abducted
Ismail on March 18, 2024, during their raid on al-Shifa Hospital,
detaining him for a period of time before his release, which debunks and
refutes their false claim of his affiliation with any organisation,”
the network added.</p>
<p>The slain correspondent said at that time that Israeli forces
detained him with other journalists and forced them to lie on their
stomachs as they were blindfolded and had their hands tied for several
hours.</p><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px"><div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-medium gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-0 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu gmail-vjs-hide-controls" id="gmail-vjs_video_128072" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"><div class="gmail-vjs-poster" aria-disabled="false"><span class="gmail-vjs-poster" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/944720c2-9aea-42ed-992a-07ae25162b09/4e1f1550-d63d-4949-b24a-b349bb19dbd1/1920x1080/match/image.jpg" width="423" height="238" style="margin-right: 0px;"></span></div><div class="gmail-vjs-text-track-display"><div style="margin:1.5%"></div></div></span></div></div></div><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px"><div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-medium gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-0 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu gmail-vjs-hide-controls" id="gmail-vjs_video_128072" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"></span></div><div class="gmail-video-duration__brand-bar"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Video Duration 2 minutes 36 seconds </span><span aria-hidden="true" class="gmail-video-duration__duration">2:36</span></div></div>
<p></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ismail joined Al Jazeera in November 2023, dedicating all his time
and effort to covering the war on Gaza, documenting the Israeli forces’
atrocities in Gaza City and reporting the untold suffering of
Palestinians in Gaza,” Al Jazeera Media Network said on Thursday.</p><p>“Al Jazeera Media Network calls for an independent international
investigation into the brutal and heinous crimes committed by the
Israeli occupation forces against its journalists and staff since the
beginning of the war on Gaza.”</p>
<p>In its statement, the Israeli army appeared to confirm that it
deliberately targeted al-Ghoul, boasting that the journalist has been
“eliminated”.</p>
<p>“As part of his role in the military wing, al-Ghoul instructed other
operatives on how to record operations and was actively involved in
recording and publicizing attacks against [Israeli] troops,” the Israeli
military said.</p>
<p>“His activities in the field were a vital part of Hamas’s military activity.”</p>
<p>Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, Israel has alleged – mostly
without evidence – that its attacks on Palestinians are part of the
campaign against Hamas.</p>
<p>The Israeli military has <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/8/1/israel-war-on-gaza-live-fears-of-regional-war-after-israeli-assassinations">bombed schools</a>,
hospitals and displaced people’s camps, claiming that it was targeting
Hamas fighters. Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has killed at least
39,480 Palestinians and reduced large parts of the besieged territory to
rubble.</p>
<p>When Israel killed <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/7/hamza-son-of-al-jazeeras-wael-dahdouh-killed-in-israeli-attack-in-gaza">Hamza Dahdouh</a>,
the eldest son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and a journalist
himself, in January, it also accused him of being part of Hamas – an
allegation rejected by the network and press freedom groups.</p>
<p>Hamza Dahdouh was killed alongside fellow journalist Mustafa Thuraya.</p>
<p>Israel had provided contradicting justifications for that attack.
Initially, it claimed that it struck Dahdouh and Thuraya for using a
camera drone, assuming that they posed a threat to Israeli forces.
Dahdouh and Thuraya wore vests clearly identifying them as press.</p><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px"><div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-medium gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-1 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu gmail-vjs-hide-controls" id="gmail-vjs_video_129536" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"><div class="gmail-vjs-poster" aria-disabled="false"><span class="gmail-vjs-poster" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/799ad584-7a29-462d-b5b9-d3bca2ec0911/a5557f3c-c137-43fc-bf4a-d574ecead713/1920x1080/match/image.jpg" width="423" height="234" style="margin-right: 0px;"></span></div><div class="gmail-vjs-text-track-display"><div style="margin:1.5%"></div></div></span></div></div></div><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px"><div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-medium gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-1 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu gmail-vjs-hide-controls" id="gmail-vjs_video_129536" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"></span></div><div class="gmail-video-duration__brand-bar"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Video Duration 28 minutes 00 seconds </span><span aria-hidden="true" class="gmail-video-duration__duration">28:00</span></div></div>
<p></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Again in February, Israel claimed without evidence that Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/13/journalists-including-al-jazeera-reporter-injured-in-israel-gaza-strike">Ismail Abu Omar</a> was a Hamas operative after targeting him with an attack that severely injured him.</p>
<p>At that time Al Jazeera rejected and condemned the allegation,
recalling Israel’s long history of attacking the network and its
journalists.</p>
<p>Israeli forces had killed the Al Jazeera correspondent <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/israeli-forces-killed-abu-akleh-without-justification-un-inquiry-says">Shireen Abu Akleh</a> in the West Bank in 2022 and the network’s cameraman <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/15/al-jazeera-condemns-israeli-forces-killing-of-cameraman-samer-abu-daqqa">Samer Abudaqa</a> in Gaza in December 2023.</p>
<p>Israel, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/israel-bans-al-jazeera-what-does-it-mean-and-what-happens-next#:~:text=Why%20did%20Israel%20shut%20down,them%20a%20threat%20to%20security.">which banned</a> Al Jazeera in the country earlier this year, had also <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/15/building-housing-al-jazeeera-office-in-gaza-hit-by-israeli-strike">bombed a tower</a> housing the network’s offices in Gaza in 2021.</p>
<p>Israel has killed 165 journalists in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.</p>
<p>The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders have condemned the killing of al-Ghoul and al-Rifi.</p>
<p>“Journalists are civilians and should never be targeted. Israel must
explain why two more Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in what
appears to be a direct strike,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a
statement on Wednesday.</p>
</div>