Mohammed Samir Washah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher in Gaza, was killed on April 8, 2026, in a targeted drone strike on his car that was travelling on the coastal road near Gaza City. According to a post on X by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee and video footage, Washah was the intended target.
In 2024, Adraee alleged that Washah, who was born in 1986 in Al-Bureij, was a senior figure within Hamas’ military wing. According to his claims, documents and photographs retrieved from a laptop show that he held a prominent leadership role in the group’s anti-tank missile system.Reuters reported that both Hamas and Al Jazeera denied that Washah had any affiliation with the group.
Al Jazeera Network issued a statement on April 8 condemning Washah’s killing as an attempt to silence journalists covering the Gaza war.
No official obituary, as previously done for military figures, has been issued by Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing. Instead, the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza denounced the incident. Hazem Qassem, a spokesperson for Hamas, described the killing as part of what he characterized as “a broader pattern of targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip.”
The International Federation of Journalists also referred to Washah as a journalist.
A source close to Hamas, who requested anonymity, citing fear of reprisal, confirmed to CPJ that Washah was never affiliated with Hamas’ brigades and that the images shared by Israeli sources were likely fabricated. CPJ could not determine the authenticity of the images.
Washah’s brother, Ahmad, confirmed to CPJ that his brother was not engaged in military activity.
CPJ emailed Al Jazeera for comment on the Israeli allegations of Washah being a combatant but did not receive a reply at the time of publication.
Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, confirmed to CPJ that Washah had “consistently” covered news for Al Jazeera Mubasher from the journalists’ tent at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
“In light of the crime committed by the Israeli occupation in assassinating journalist Mohammed Washah, we affirm based on direct knowledge and daily follow-up that the martyr was carrying out his journalistic work professionally and continuously as a correspondent with Al Jazeera Mubasher,” said al-Thawabta, adding that he was never “recorded as engaging in any activity outside the known professional journalistic framework”
“Therefore, the narrative promoted by the Israeli occupation regarding him is false and misleading to public opinion, and comes within a repeated pattern of attempts to justify targeting Palestinian journalists after their assassination by fabricating claims that are not based on any reliable evidence,” he said.