Palestinian Photojournalist Ismail Baddah Killed in Israeli Drone Strike at Al-Ahli Hospital

Ismail Baddah, a 33‑year‑old photojournalist for the Islamic Jihad‑affiliated Palestine Today TV satellite channel, was killed on Thursday morning by an Israeli drone strike while working in the courtyard of Al‑Ahli‑Baptist Hospital in Gaza. The strike also killed his colleague, Suleiman Hajjaj, an editor for the channel. Ahmed Qalaja, a camera operator for the Qatari‑funded Al‑Araby TV, was gravely wounded and died from his injuries on June 6. Palestine Today TV correspondent Emad Daloul was injured, as well as Al‑Araby TV reporter Islam Badr and camera operator Imam Badr.

“The strike happened at around 10:20 a.m. with a single missile fired by an Israeli drone directly at a group of journalists who were sitting in the courtyard, working on their laptops,” said Islam Badr, who began filming minutes after his right leg was hit, to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Baddah’s sister, Raeda Baddah, described the attack as deliberate: “I believe the Israeli strike was deliberate, as the missile hit them directly.”

The Israel Defense Forces stated on Telegram they had “precisely struck an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command and control center in the yard of the Al‑Ahli Hospital.” Avichay Adraee, IDF spokesperson for Arabic Media, later claimed on Facebook that Hajjaj and Samir Al‑Rifai—also killed in the strike—were Islamic Jihad members “masquerading as journalists” and allegedly using the hospital to facilitate terrorist activity, though no evidence was provided.

Palestine Today TV condemned the killings as a “double war crime” for “direct targeting” of journalists and a hospital, both protected under international humanitarian law. Ismail Baddah was a father of three children. CPJ reported that its request for comment from the IDF’s North America Media Desk regarding the targeting of journalists had not received a response at time of publication.

Art as Witness: Gianluca Costantini’s Work

Italian artist and activist Gianluca Costantini has been creating portraits and visual memorials dedicated to journalists killed while reporting in Gaza and across Palestine. Through digital drawings and ink portraits, he offers a human face to each victim, transforming numbers into stories and names into visible witnesses.

Costantini’s work, exhibited in multiple cities, has become a tool of collective memory and peaceful protest, reminding the public of the essential role journalists play in conflict zones and the risks they face while documenting the truth. His portraits of journalists killed in Palestine continue to circulate online and in demonstrations, becoming silent banners of dignity and remembrance.

In an environment where violence against journalists is frequent, Costantini’s art underscores the reality that each journalist killed represents a loss of truth and testimony for all.