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Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Eslaih, a journalist from Gaza who documented Hamas’s October 7 massacre, was killed in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Monday, Hamas confirmed on Tuesday.
The attack marked the tragic end of a controversial figure who had previously been reported dead by the IDF in April during a separate strike in the same region.
Eslaih, who was affiliated with Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, gained notoriety for his involvement in the October 7 massacre, during which Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel.
Eslaih documented and shared harrowing footage of the attack on social media platforms, providing a chilling first-hand account of the violent assault.
The IDF emphasized that Eslaih’s role was not just as a journalist but as an active participant in the massacre, assisting in disseminating its horrors in real-time.
Before his death, Eslaih had worked as a photojournalist for both CNN and the Associated Press (AP), and he was the owner of a media company in Gaza.
His extensive coverage of Gaza’s humanitarian situation garnered attention internationally, though his ties to Hamas raised significant concerns.
In 2024, a photograph emerged showing Eslaih with former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, leading both CNN and AP to sever ties with him, citing his affiliations with the militant group.
Iran’s Mehr news agency had referred to Eslaih as “Israel’s nightmare,” praising his unflinching coverage of Gaza’s events, which garnered him both admiration and scorn.
However, his controversial role in the October 7 attacks and his association with Hamas’s violent agenda led to growing scrutiny of his journalistic work.
Eslaih’s death comes amidst growing legal action against media organizations for allegedly employing journalists with links to terrorist groups.
The parents of five victims who died in the Nova festival attack, one of the deadliest events during the October 7 assault, filed a lawsuit against AP and Reuters, claiming the agencies were complicit by utilizing photographers like Eslaih who were allegedly involved with terror organizations.
The lawsuit seeks NIS 25 million ($6.5 million) in damages, asserting that by documenting the attacks in real-time, the journalists became an integral part of the terror operation rather than neutral observers.
Reuters, in response to the lawsuit and the controversy surrounding its coverage, confirmed to Jerusalem-based watchdog HonestReporting that it had removed content from several Gazan photojournalists with known ties to Hamas.
This included Eslaih’s work, which had been distributed across various platforms such as Getty, Sky News, and The New York Times.
Reuters clarified its decision, stating, “When informed about possible problems with certain content from one news organization on the Reuters Connect platform, we investigated and took it down because the material didn’t comply with our partner content policy.”
The case against Eslaih and other photojournalists involved with Hamas continues to stir debate on the ethics of journalism in conflict zones, particularly concerning the fine line between documentation and complicity in violent acts.
As the legal battle unfolds, questions remain about the responsibilities of international news agencies in vetting the backgrounds of those they employ to cover war zones and the implications for journalistic integrity in the context of ongoing violence in Gaza.