Airwars assessment
On the evening of Monday, November 6th, 2023, journalist Muhammad Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja was killed after an alleged Israeli airstrike hit his family home in the Al-Nasr neighbourhood in Gaza City. The alleged strike killed 12 other members of the Al-Jaja family, including four children and five women, one of whom was pregnant, and injured at least one other member of the family.
Muhammad Al Jaja was a media worker and the organisational development consultant at Press House-Palestine.
Muhammad Al-Jaja’s mother, Noura Khamis Abu Hasira Al-Jaja, and father, Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja were reportedly killed in the incident alongside Muhammed’s wife, Shima Abdel Halim Abu Aska, and daughters, Sham Muhammad Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja and Noura Muhammad Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja. His sisters, Zainab Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja and Israa Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja were killed, along with Israa Ghanem’s husband Nimr Haraz and their two children, Muhammad Nimr Haraz and Hana Nimr Haraz. Muhammed Al-Jaja’s brother Tawfiq Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja was killed with his wife, Hala Al-Amsi who was pregnant at the time of her death.
Numerous local and international outlets reported the incident, including the Shehab Agency, Al-Jazeera, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. According to Muhammad Al-Jaja’s sister, Shaymaa Ghanem Al-Jaja, her niece had survived the alleged strike but was injured.
A graphic video showing at least five corpses lying on the ground and covered with blankets was widely circulated on social networks. Muhammad Al-Jaja’s blue vest and press ID were placed over one of the bodies. To the left appear to be the bodies of two infants sharing the same stretcher.
Atef Abu Saif, who claimed to have been with Muhammad Al-Jaja the day before the alleged strike, wrote in a farewell Facebook post: “He was busy all the time providing assistance to the afflicted in shelter centres, calling and going to bakeries and supermarkets. From seven in the morning until sunset, he is busy with the worries of others. He refused to move south and remained steadfast in his home in the Al-Nasr neighbourhood until the shell came and killed him and his family”. He ended his message by writing: “In Al-Shifa Hospital, the press jacket over his body with his identification card reminds us of all the pain that awaits us on the road.”
According to fellow journalist Belal Jadallah – who was later himself killed after an alleged Israeli airstrike on November 19th 2023 – Muhammad Al-Jaja was “a model of morals, professionalism, and chivalry”. Like Atef Abu Saif, he underlined his colleague’s commitment to his community: “Then, when he is almost done writing, he spends all the hours of the day during the war, running between bakeries, water stations, and stores to provide for the needs of those around him and his colleagues, and offering aid to the afflicted.”
The post included two photos of a severely damaged building. A similar image was shared by the Facebook account MsdrNews: “The effects of the bombing that destroyed the house of fellow journalist Muhammad Al-Jaja, opposite Al-Shifa Tower, which led to the martyrdom of him and his family.”
The day after he was killed, Muhammad Al-Jaja, along with Belal Jadallah, was scheduled to participate as a speaker in the conference ‘Freedom of Expression and Information: What Is the Role of New Media?’, organised by the Council of Europe within the World Forum for Democracy. In a biography published on the conference’s website, now dedicated to the memory of both journalists, it was stated that Muhammad had “12 years of extensive experience in organizational development and strategic planning, focusing on freedom of expression issues and journalist protection”. The biography also highlighted that he had “demonstrated a deep commitment to advocating for press freedom and the protection of journalists in Palestine and beyond.”
Relatives and friends of the Al-Jaja family expressed their grief in posts on social media. According to some of these messages, Sham Muhammad Ghanem Tawfiq Al-Jaja, one of Muhammad Al-Jaja’s daughters, was only seven when she was killed. Several users shared a recent photo of Sham Al-Jaja from before the incident, wearing a red dress. The user @mrs_h45mes shared a photo of Muhammad Al-Jaja in what was “the happiest day of his life”. In the picture, he smiles at his new-born daughter, Sham.
The X account @GazaMartyrs quotes Ahmed Al-Madhoon, who was reportedly a friend of the journalist: “When we used to meet, his daughter Sham would bring us juice, and we would accompany her to buy snacks for school. We would talk about her intelligence and how much she resembled him. He saw a part of himself in her.”
A message of condolence shared by Shaymaa Ghanem Al-Jaja, Muhammad Al-Jaja’s sister, detailed each of the 13 relatives she lost on the 6th of November. “The eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, and we are saddened by your separation.”
Muhammad Al-Jaja’s sister-in-law, Hala Al-Amsi, had married just that July and was four months pregnant, according to a message sent to the platform Untold Palestine by a friend of hers, Ruzalinda Al-Ashi. “I’m writing these words with tears in my eyes; they flow for my companion and the love of my heart, Hala.” In her message, she also mentioned that her friend was “happy to marry the love of her life” and that “joy radiated from her eyes”. “She is a very kind girl with a pure heart, a light on the soul, and a true friend.”
Several international organisations – including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Women Journalists Without Chains – expressed their anger at the alleged attack and called for the protection of journalists and media workers in conflict zones. In a post on their official Facebook account, the WJWC declared that Muhammad Al-Jaja’s killing was a crime that was “added to a list of what we believe to be war crimes against journalists, which include murder, targeting families, destroying journalistic institutions, and restricting the work of journalistic crews.”
Just two days before his death, Muhammad Al-Jaja posted his final Facebook message: “We are alone”.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (13)
Summary
Sources (60) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (98) [ collapse]
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