Al Jazeera journalist grieves loss of 3 generations of his family in Gaza

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE.

A prominent journalist in the Gaza Strip attended a funeral for multiple members of his immediate family on Thursday and returned to air, just a day after his loved ones were killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in the besieged territory.

Wael Dahdouh lost his wife, as well as a son, a daughter and a grandson, in what Al Jazeera reported was an Israeli airstrike that hit Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza. Another son, Yehia, was seriously wounded.

An Israel Defence Forces spokesperson told CNN that “regarding this specific case, the IDF targeted Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the area.”

Wael Dahdouh is Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza, where he has long covered conflict.

But the death of his loved ones was both a tragic and personal story, which he was at the centre of.

Al Jazeera showed footage on Wednesday of Dahdouh entering Gaza’s al-Aqsa hospital and seeing the body of his dead son. “They take vengeance on us through our children?” he sobbed.

While returning to air on Thursday, Dahdouh thanked those watching for their prayers in the wake of the deaths of his family members.

Dahdouh’s family were among the more than one million residents of Gaza who have been displaced from their homes amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

The current conflict erupted after Hamas launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. In response, Israeli forces have bombarded targets across Gaza, in a bid to topple Hamas and its infrastructure.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel — most of whom died in the initial Hamas attacks — according to the Israeli government. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says that as of Thursday, some 7,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict.

CBC News is unable to independently verify the casualty figures being reported.

With files from The Associated Press and Reuters