Overview
- The Al Jazeera correspondent, 40, was killed Wednesday when an Israeli strike hit his car on al-Rashid Street in Gaza City, with witnesses reporting a second blast as rescuers arrived.
- The Israeli military said Thursday that Washah was a Hamas operative who used journalism as cover, repeating a 2024 allegation that Al Jazeera and Hamas had previously denied.
- Al Jazeera condemned the killing as deliberate, said it will pursue legal action, and press groups RSF and CPJ called for an independent inquiry and accountability.
- Gaza’s media office said his death contributes to a reported toll of about 262 journalists killed since October 2023, during a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that Gaza authorities say Israel has violated with lethal strikes.
- The IDF shared video of the car exploding, and coverage diverged over the claims, with some reports stressing the military’s accusation and others noting a pattern of journalist deaths and calls for outside scrutiny.