Geolocation
Airwars assessment
In the early hours of the morning of May 19th 2021, between approximately 4am to 4.30am, Yousef Abu Hussein, a 32 year old journalist from Al-Aqsa (the Voice of Jerusalem) Radio, was killed when Israeli forces allegedly launched three missiles which hit the fourth and fifth floors of a five-story building in the Al Radwan Junction in Al Jala Street, in the Shiekh Radwan neighbourhood, Gaza.
According to various news sources, the apartment was Mr Hussein’s family home. His father, Muhammed Abu Hussein, told Al Jazeera, “we were able to get out of the house. But my boy, Yousef… was killed.”
Al-Watan News and Al-Araby Politics reported that these missiles were launched without warning.
There was large-scale domestic and international reporting of this airstrike from news outlets and journalism associations.
Aqsa TV Channel released a video featuring Yousef Abu Hussein, their former colleague, with the caption “The martyr of the truth… Yousef Abu Hussein”. According to news reports, Yousef Abu Hussein had worked at Al-Asqa for 12 years.
Later the same day of May 19th 2021, Amad News reported that “the Central Movement Office for Journalists mourned in the Gaza Square on Wednesday” and Palestine Now reported that “Al Aqsa Radio organises a condemnation and denunciation of the crime of assassinating the journalist martyr Yusef Abu Hussein and rejecting the occupation’s crimes against journalists” and included photographs of journalists and others congregating with pictures of the deceased.
Shihab News posted photos of the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on Facebook, including a photograph of crowds gathered around his body, decorated with his journalist press vest. English-language outlets, including Quds News Network, Middle East Eye, AJ+, Al Jazeera, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, The Washington Post and Democracy Now! also reported of his death. AJ+ added that “groups say Israel has bombed at least 18 media outlets this week, plus internet providers, imposing a media blackout.”
The New York Times was another English-language news outlet that covered Yousef Abu Hussein’s funeral. They reported that “he was the first journalist to be killed in the latest Israeli bombardment of the territory.” However, this is somewhat conflicted by the Journalist Support Committee in Geneva which released a statement that “the committee confirmed that the loss of Abu Hussein today, in addition to two other journalists (Abdul Hamid al-Kawlak and Muhammad Abdel Moneim Shaheen) during the past days.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned “the killing of Palestinian journalist Yousef Abu Hussein in Gaza and called on Israeli authorities to immediately clarify whether they deliberately struck his home.” CPJ also reported that they “emailed the Israeli Defence Force’s North America Desk for comment and provided information including the neighbourhood, date, and approximate time of the bombing; an IDF representative responded by asking for more precise information, and said they were looking into it.”
The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also denounced the airstrike on May 19th 2021 and extended their condolences to the journalist’s family.
Yousef Abu Hussein’s friend and colleague, Muhammad Balusha, journalist and radio presenter at the National Media Agency, said of the deceased to Al-Watan News, “the martyr was covering the latest escalation around the clock, and when he decided to go to his house to rest for a few hours, today he was the only one who left the radio, and his house was targeted by the occupation planes.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Yousef Abu Hussein’s last Facebook post included pictures of the destruction from Israeli airstrikes and efforts to rescue people from under rubble.
Yousef Abu Hussein was a husband and father of three children. There are various reports and videos of his young son attending his funeral, for example @adham922, reported that he was “chanting at the top of his voice, “The martyr Habibullah,” and the martyr is his father, the journalist Youssef Abu Hussein.”
No sources mention that there were any others killed or injured in this attack.
The incident occured at approximately 4:00 am local time.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (66) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (40) [ collapse]
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1 of 4: Palestine Now reported that Al-Aqsa radio organised a "condemnation and denunciation of the crime of assassinating the journalist martyr Yusef Abu Hussein and rejecting the occupation's crimes against journalists." May 19th 2021.
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2 of 4: Palestine Now reported that Al-Aqsa radio organised a "condemnation and denunciation of the crime of assassinating the journalist martyr Yusef Abu Hussein and rejecting the occupation's crimes against journalists." May 19th 2021.
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3 of 4: Palestine Now reported that Al-Aqsa radio organised a "condemnation and denunciation of the crime of assassinating the journalist martyr Yusef Abu Hussein and rejecting the occupation's crimes against journalists." May 19th 2021.
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4 of 4: Palestine Now reported that Al-Aqsa radio organised a "condemnation and denunciation of the crime of assassinating the journalist martyr Yusef Abu Hussein and rejecting the occupation's crimes against journalists." May 19th 2021.
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1 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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2 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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3 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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4 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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5 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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6 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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7 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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8 of 8: Shihab News reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein on May 19th 2021.
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Yousef Abu Hussein who was allegedly killed by Israeli forces' airstrikes on May 19th 2021 (Al Aqsa / 19th May 2021).
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1 of 3: Qud News Network reported on May 19th 2021 "pictures from the prayer for the martyr journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, who was assassinated by the occupation in his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, west of Gaza."
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2 of 3: Qud News Network reported on May 19th 2021 "pictures from the prayer for the martyr journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, who was assassinated by the occupation in his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, west of Gaza."
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3 of 3: Qud News Network reported on May 19th 2021 "pictures from the prayer for the martyr journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, who was assassinated by the occupation in his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, west of Gaza."
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1 of 2: Photographs of Yousef Abu Hussein's funeral in Gaza, May 19th 2021, by Mahmoud F. Ajjour, re-posted by @Almeqdad.
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2 of 2: Photographs of Yousef Abu Hussein's funeral in Gaza, May 19th 2021, by Mahmoud F. Ajjour, re-posted by @Almeqdad.
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1 of 4: Quds News Network reports "from the aftermath of the assassination of journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza" on May 19th 2021
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2 of 4: Quds News Network reports "from the aftermath of the assassination of journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza" on May 19th 2021.
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3 of 4: Quds News Network reports "from the aftermath of the assassination of journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza."
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4 of 4: Quds News Network reports "from the aftermath of the assassination of journalist Yousef Abu Hussein, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza."
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@RealemanAyad reported the death of journalist, Yousef Abu Hussein, on May 19th 2021.
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AJA Egypt reported the death of journalist, Yousef Abu Hussein, on May 19th 2021.
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Quds News Network reported "the moment the body of journalist Yousef Abu Hussein was retrieved after the occupation bombed his house north of Gaza City, this morning," May 19th 2021.
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A local source, @adham922, reported from the funeral of Yousef Abu Hussein, "This child attends the funeral, chanting at the top of his voice, "The martyr Habibullah," and the martyr is his father, the journalist Youssef Abu Hussein."
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"Pictures from the home of the martyr journalist Youssef Abu Hussein, who was bombed by the occupation in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, west of #Gaza," Quds News Network, May 19th 2021.
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"Pictures from the home of the martyr journalist Youssef Abu Hussein, who was bombed by the occupation in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, west of #Gaza," Quds News Network, May 19th 2021.
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"An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian journalist in his home in Gaza," AJ+, May 19th 2021.
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1 of 2: Mourners gather over the body of Yousef Abu Hussein, an al-Aqsa radio reporter, during his funeral at the main mosque in Gaza, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Abu Hussein was killed during an Israeli airstrike on his house early morning. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
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1 of 2: Mourners wait to pray together over the body of Yousef Abu Hussein, an al-Aqsa radio reporter, during his funeral at the main mosque in Gaza, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Abu Hussein was killed during an Israeli airstrike on his house early morning. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
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Palestinian relatives of Journaliste Yousef Abu Hussein cry, after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, on May 19, 2021. Photo by Bashar Taleb, APA Images.
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1 of 2: "Palestinians attend the funeral of journalist Youssef Abu Hussein working for Hamas-linked Al-Aqsa radio who was killed when an Israeli strike hit his home north of Gaza City, the first reporter killed during the current round of violence," on May 19, 2021. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
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2 of 2: "Palestinians attend the funeral of journalist Youssef Abu Hussein working for Hamas-linked Al-Aqsa radio who was killed when an Israeli strike hit his home north of Gaza City, the first reporter killed during the current round of violence," on May 19, 2021. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a residential building being struck near the intersection of Al Radwan (الشيخ رضوان) and Al Jalaa Street (شارع الجلاء) in Gaza city. Analyzing visual material from sources, we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 31.528643, 34.467677.