Reuters cameraman dies while covering Israel-Hamas conflict

On Friday, a Reuters cameraman was killed and three other journalists were injured while on assignment to cover the fighting between Hamas and Israel in southern Lebanon, according to the news agency that employed him.

According to a statement released by Reuters, Issam Abdallah had been capturing live footage in the area around Alma Al-Shaab at the time of his death, as the New York Post reported.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the company said in a statement.

“We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues.”

More Injuries

According to the wire service, journalists Thaer Al-sudani and Maher Nazeh from Reuters were also hurt in the attack.

According to the Daily Beast, the live stream for Reuters was taken offline at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time after the journalists who were reportedly behind the footage were presumably attacked.

In the disturbing recording, a male voice can be heard saying, "F–k! F–k!," as a female voice shouts, "What happened?" and "I can’t feel my legs! I can’t feel my legs!”

Photos purported to have been taken in the wake of the event show a wrecked truck in flames and damaged machinery lying on the ground. According to Al Jazeera, the group is thought to have been struck by a shell fired by the Israeli Defense Force.

According to the news organization, Al Jazeera journalist Carmen Joukhadar and cameraperson Elie Brakhya were also among those injured in the attack.

The Strike

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem claimed on-air that “There was this direct shell that hit the team," and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been blamed for the attack, as they have reportedly fired artillery rounds over the Israel-Lebanon border in response to shooting from Lebanese territory.

He asserts that the journalists from Reuters and Al Jazeera were traveling in the same convoy at the time of the incident and that all of them were identified themselves as members of the press by wearing jackets and helmets.

Issam, who was generally based in Beirut, uploaded a short film of a bombing over Alma Al-Shaab as well as a selfie of himself dressed in tactical press gear with smoke rising in the backdrop shortly before his passing as a result of the attack.