7:24 pm ET, December 15, 2023
Al Jazeera cameraman killed in airstrike in Gaza was “a happy person who loved life”, his colleague says.
From CNN’s Abeer Salman and Karim El Damanhoury
From Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera reporter Hiba Aqila paid tribute to her colleague Samar Abu DaqaA cameraman from the same network died of injuries after an airstrike in southern Gaza City on Friday.
Dhaka was trapped in the Haifa school, where he was working, when it caught fire, the network said earlier Friday.
“Samar was not only an optimistic, happy person who loved life, but he was also a journalist who stuck to his journalistic work and encouraged us whenever we felt pain and despair,” said Akila in a broken voice. Rafa on Friday night.
Aquila said he has been working closely with Dhaka in Gaza since the war began in October.
“Samar was working non-stop,” she said. “He is a beautiful spirit who always joins us and gives us laughter.”
According to Al Jazeera, Dacca’s wife and four children are in Belgium. Aquila said Taka is hopeful that one day the family will be reunited in Gaza.
“When we were supporting and comforting Samir that he would meet his family soon, he said, “I won’t go to them, they will come here and we will be together in Gaza,”” Akila said.
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned that a drone strike killed Dhaka and injured his colleague. Wael Al-Dahdouhand called for “international authorities to independently investigate the attack and hold those responsible accountable.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera, CPJ President Jodi Ginsberg reiterated her call for the protection of journalists and stressed the importance of their work in Gaza, which she called an “unprecedented” challenge.
“We are the only Gaza journalists left to do this important documentary work,” Ginsberg said
