Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Washeha. X
An Israeli drone fired a missile at Washah's car as he drove along Al-Rashid Street near the Al-Nabulsi junction, west of Gaza City, according to Gaza’s civil defence.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said the strike caused the vehicle to burst into flames, killing Washah and another person travelling with him instantly.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire and recover the bodies under difficult field conditions. The bodies were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital.
Shadi Shamieh, a colleague and friend of Washah, told Al Jazeera that the journalist had been the subject of an incitement campaign by Israeli military spokespersons since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
In assassinating Washah, Israel continues its murderous campaign to silence reporters on the ground; a war crime committed by Tel Aviv hundreds of times over the past two and a half years.
"This assassination comes in the context of a dangerous escalation targeting journalists to prevent the transmission of the true picture of what is happening in the Gaza Strip," stated Al Jazeera.
Gaza’s Government Media Office stated on Wednesday that the killing brought the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the outbreak of the genocide to 262.
The office condemned the attack and called for international action to hold Israel accountable.
Last year, Israel assassinated Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al-Sharif and Hossam Shabat, two of Washah's close collaborators in covering Israeli crimes in the strip.
In tandem, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate described the killing as “a fully-fledged crime” and called for an immediate, transparent international investigation, as well as urgent protection for journalists operating in Gaza.
Basal said Washah had previously survived multiple assassination attempts while covering the current and previous Israeli wars on Gaza.
Separately, the massive Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon earlier Wednesday killed Al Manar TV journalist Suzanne Khalil and Sawt Al-Farah radio presenter Ghada Dayekh, according to local media reports. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 16 Lebanese journalists.
Press freedom groups have repeatedly warned of the dangers faced by journalists in Gaza and southern Lebanon, where local reporters continue to operate under bombardment.
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