Mohamed El Sayed Abu Skheil, a 33-year-old broadcaster and editor at the local Al-Quds Radio, was killed by Israeli forces after they stormed the Al-Shifa medical complex in western Gaza City on the evening of March 18, 2024, according to media reports and his sister Nour Abu Skheil, who spoke to CPJ.
Abu Skheil, a father of three, had sought refuge in the medical complex along with his family and thousands of other displaced Palestinians during Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Abu Skheil had worked at Al-Quds Radio for four years, He worked alongside his brother, Tarek El Sayed Abu Skheil, who was also killed in the raid on the hospital complex.
CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces’ North America Media Desk in late September 2024, asking for comment on the killing of Mohamed El Sayed Abu Skheil. In an exchange that followed, the IDF asked CPJ for the journalists’ IDs and "relevant coordinates," which CPJ explained it could not provide due to research limitations. The IDF then said it could not fully address CPJ’s inquiry due to a lack of "sufficient details." The IDF said it takes "all operationally feasible measures" to prevent harm to journalists and other civilians, asserting that "many" on CPJ’s list were Hamas members and therefore lawful targets, but did not name the journalists or provide evidence they were Hamas fighters.