Israel Says It Killed Al Jazeera Cameraman Who Also Served as Hamas Sniper Operative

The IDF said on Saturday night that it killed Ahmad Samir Muhammad Washah, a Hamas military wing operative who also worked in recent years as a cameraman for Qatar’s Al Jazeera. He was killed in a precise airstrike in central Gaza along with two other militants.

According to the military, Washah was active in Hamas’s military wing while working in media, and in recent weeks he promoted sniper attacks and other terror activity against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said he posed an immediate threat to soldiers on the ground.

The army also said Washah worked alongside his brother, Muhammad Samir Muhammad Washah, who was a senior operative in Hamas’s rockets and weapons production headquarters. The brother also allegedly operated under the cover of an Al Jazeera journalist and was killed in April this year.

Security officials said the strike was carried out because of Washah’s recent military activity and the immediate danger he posed. The IDF added that Southern Command forces remain deployed in the area in line with the agreement and will continue acting to remove any immediate threat. The killing comes amid a series of recent Israeli strikes against senior Hamas figures, including operatives involved in the October 7 massacre and in holding hostages.