Palestinian journalist killed in Israeli strike days before wedding

A Palestinian journalist, Mohammed Salama, was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on August 25, just days before he was set to marry his fiancee, Hala Asfour, who is also a journalist.

Mohammed Salama, who worked as a cameraman for Al Jazeera, had long documented Israeli atrocities in Gaza. He was killed along with other journalists when Israeli forces targeted the Nasser Hospital, where civilians and rescue workers had gathered.

The attack, captured during a live broadcast, sparked outrage over Israel’s continued impunity and its ongoing targeting of journalists and civilians without accountability from the international community.

Amid the genocide in Gaza, Salama and Hala Asfour had found solace in each other, becoming each other’s support and hope for the future.

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They had become engaged on his birthday, a moment he marked with a heartfelt Instagram video and caption, expressing his excitement for their marriage.

“Despite the war and what distress and anxiety has come upon us, we are the safety of each other… even though we are surrounded by fear, we are the ones who walked dangerous paths together until we reached the point that binds us forever, marriage. May God bless us, benefit us, and make us beneficial to our religion and our homeland,” he wrote, as he gently held Hala’s hand.

The Israeli army has repeatedly targeted journalists in Gaza, often accusing them of links to Hamas without evidence. On August 10, Israel bombed an entire Al Jazeera crew, killing celebrated journalist Anas Al Sharif.

The Gaza government media office confirmed that more than 240 journalists have been killed by Israel since the start of the war in October 2023.