Israeli strike kills journalist and family in Gaza
Among the dead is Palestinian journalist Walaa al-Jaabari, who was killed alongside her husband, Amjad al-Shaer, and their five children when Israeli forces bombed the family's home.
Reports say the intensity of the strike reportedly forced the unborn child from her womb.
The last message al-Jaabari posted on Facebook read: 'I am not afraid of dying of hunger. I am afraid of heartbreak if this crazy war does not stop.'
Her death brings the number of journalists killed in Gaza this year to 34, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. In its mid-year report, the group documented the killing of 41 relatives of journalists, the destruction of 32 of their homes, and injuries to 66 media workers – mostly from shrapnel and live fire.
Palestinian journalist Walaa al-Jaabari (Social Media)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
43 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Citing political considerations, top Islamic institution deletes call to action over Gaza starvation
One of the Muslim world's foremost Islamic institutions on Wednesday acknowledged that it had deleted a strongly worded call to action over the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, citing its potential impact on ceasefire negotiations. The prestigious Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, located in Cairo, Egypt, said it "took the initiative to withdraw its statement with courage and responsibility before God when it realised that this statement could impact the ongoing negotiations regarding a humanitarian truce in Gaza to save innocent lives." "This was done to prevent this statement from being used as a pretext to back out of negotiations or compromise," the statement, posted to X, said. Egypt is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, and the government has often tried to tamp down frustrations within the country over its role in what critics describe as maintaining the siege on Gaza, given it shares the Rafah crossing with the enclave. "Al-Azhar has prioritized the interests of preventing the daily bloodshed in Gaza, hoping that the negotiations will lead to an immediate halt to the bloodshed and provide the most basic necessities of life, of which the oppressed Palestinian people have been deprived," the statement said.
Middle East Eye
5 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Hamas submits response to US-Israeli short-term ceasefire proposal
Hamas has handed its response on the ceasefire proposal to mediators, a Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters on Wednesday. The official did not immediately disclose the content of the response. - Reporting by Reuters
Middle East Eye
5 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Islamic State may be responsible for atrocities against Druze, not Syrian forces, Barrack says
US envoy Tom Barrack suggested that Syrian government forces were not responsible for atrocities committed against Druze in southern Syria, and that the armed fighters who carried out the attacks may have been Islamic State militants disguised in government uniforms. Barrack, who is President Donald Trump's envoy to Syria as well as ambassador to Turkey, made the comments in an interview with Reuters in Beirut on Tuesday. Syria's southern province of Sweida was the site of sectarian violence between the majority Druze community and Sunni Bedouins. The conflict was internationalised after Israel intervened, bombing Syrian government forces. Israel cast the bombings as an effort to protect Druze. Israel is home to around 150,000 Druze. Around 1,000 people were killed in the clashes in southern Syria. Barrack also cast doubt on video footage that circulated widely on social media alleged to be of Syrian government forces committing atrocities, saying it could have been easily altered. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The Syrian troops haven't gone into the city. These atrocities that are happening are not happening by the Syrian regime troops. They're not even in the city because they agreed with Israel that they would not go in," he told Reuters. Israel's intervention in the fighting "upset" the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia, as Middle East Eye was the first to report. On Monday, the White House said Trump was "caught off guard" by Israel's bombing. Barrack is spearheading the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. He has been a vocal supporter of efforts by Gulf states to invest in the war-torn country. He has generally walked a tightrope between concerns for minorities in Syria and calls for the central government in Damascus to assert its authority. Barrack is trying to push the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the Syrian army as the US looks to continue reducing its military presence in northeast Syria. Barrack has been well received in Turkey. US support for the SDF has been a long-running sore point in the Nato allies ties. Barrack's messaging on Sharaa In a press conference in Beirut on Monday Barrack was asked about Israeli intervention, which he said 'came at a very bad time' and created 'another very confusing chapter' for Syria. Current and former Arab, Israeli and US officials told MEE that Israel's strikes and efforts to position itself as a defender of the Druze suggested it was bent on carving out a zone of influence in Syria that conflicts directly with the vision of a unitary post-war Syria put forward by Barrack. Barrack has repeatedly stressed that the US was not dictating Syria's form of government. He has cast his diplomacy as a test case for Trump's pledge in May to stop western 'nation builders' and 'interventionists' from working in the Middle East and instead empower locals allies such as the Gulf states and Turkey. Saudi Arabia told US that Syrian forces should deploy to Sweida despite Israeli objections, source says Read More » But Barrack said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa should assess the fallout of the Sweida conflict, saying Sharaa should reflect: "I'm going to adapt quickly, because if I don't adapt quickly, I'm going to lose the energy of the universe that was behind me." Barrack added that Sharaa's 'theme … isn't working so well', and told Reuters he advised Sharaa to reduce the influence of Islamists in the military and cooperate on security with regional states. Sharaa was the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a former US-designated terrorist organisation that toppled Bashar al-Assad last December. Before that he ran al-Qaeda's Syrian branch. Syria has been seen bouts of sectarian violence since Sharaa came to power. In March, Syrian security forces killed hundreds of Alawites - the sect to which Assad belonged - along the Mediterranean coast. In June, at least 25 people were killed in a bombing at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church. Sharaa was criticised for his handling of the fallout. He has promised to protect minorities. Barrack said that Sharaa had to address those concerns. "If they end up with a federalist government, that's their determination. And the answer to the question is: everybody may now need to adapt."
