Hassan Aslih
Hassan Aslih | |
|---|---|
| حسن صليح | |
| Born | c. 1990s Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Died | 13 May 2025 Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Occupation(s) | Photojournalist, editor |
| Known for | Coverage of Gaza conflict; director of Alam24 News; documenting October 7 events |
Hassan Aslih (Arabic: حَسَن صُلَيِّح, romanized: Ḥasan Ṣulayyiḥ حسن اصليح, pronounced: Ḥasan Eslāyeḥ (other spelling Hassan Eslayeh or Hassan Eslaiah); died 13 May 2025) was a Palestinian photojournalist, editor, and director of Alam24 News Agency. He was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis while recovering from injuries sustained in a previous attack on the same facility in April 2025. Aslih was widely recognized for his front line reporting of the Gaza war and his large social media presence documenting daily life during the Gaza war.
Career
Aslih was a freelance photojournalist and editor, collaborating with both international and local news organizations, including CNN and the Associated Press.[1][2][3] He led the Alam24 news outlet and was known for comprehensive coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, often reporting directly from the front lines and sharing real-time footage and photos on social media, where he had over a million followers.[4][5] His content during the Gaza war often highlighted the humanitarian crisis, including the destruction of infrastructure and civilian casualties.[4]
He gained international attention for sharing images and videos from the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, some of which were published by major news agencies.[5][1][3] Aslih’s work was widely used by global media, including Sky News, and The New York Times.[3]
In September 2024, Aslih attempted to flee from Gaza to Egypt but was denied entry by Egypt.[6]
On 7 April 2025, Aslih was severely injured by an IDF strike on a media tent near Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.[7][2] The attack killed his colleague, Helmi al-Faqawi, and injured several other journalists.[5][8] Aslih was then moved to the hospital's burn unit.[2][7]
Controversy
The Israeli military accused Aslih of participating in the October 7 attacks and claimed the strike targeted a “Hamas command and control complex” at the hospital, though no specific evidence was provided and Palestinian officials denied any political affiliation.[9][5][1][2][3] Human rights groups and press freedom organizations condemned the attack as part of a broader pattern of targeting journalists in Gaza.[5] Israeli authorities alleged that Aslih was a Hamas operative, an accusation he and his colleagues denied.[2][3] Gaza’s Government Media Office described the allegations as “untrue” and part of a strategy to justify attacks on journalists.[5] In 2024, a photograph surfaced of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar kissing Aslih, leading some international news organizations to sever ties with him and remove his work from their archives.[3]
Killing
On 13 May 2025, during the early morning hours, Aslih was killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck the surgical area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where he had been hospitalized for nearly a month after being wounded in a previous strike on a media tent at the same hospital on 6 April.[5][1][2][8] Gaza Civil Emergency Service member Ahmed Siyyam stated that the attack hit the third floor of the hospital building, where dozens of patients were being treated.[1] Aslih's killing was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists.[10][4]
See also
- Killing of journalists in the Gaza war
- List of journalists killed during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- List of journalists killed in the Gaza war
References
- ^ a b c d e Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Khaled, Hatem (2025-05-13). "Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills wounded journalist". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e f "Palestinian journalist among two killed in Israeli attack on Gaza hospital". Al Jazeera. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e f "Gaza journalist who documented Oct. 7 massacre killed in IDF strike". The Jerusalem Post. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b c "'My cause will live on' – Who was Gaza journalist Hassan Eslayeh killed in Israeli hospital strike?". TRT World. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g Abualouf, Rushdi (2025-05-13). "Gaza journalist Hassan Aslih killed in Israeli strike on hospital". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ Levy, Elior (5 September 2024). "Another Gaza journalist who filmed the massacre tried to flee to Egypt" [Another Gazan journalist who documented the massacre tried to flee to Egypt]. Kan 11 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b Hajjaj, Tareq S. (2025-04-09). "Israel targeted my colleague in an airstrike, claiming that he was a Hamas fighter. Israel is lying". Mondoweiss. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ a b Abualouf, Rushdi; Comerford, Ruth (2025-05-13). "Israeli air strike on hospital kills 28 people in Gaza, civil defence says". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "צה"ל מאשר: תקפנו את המחבל-עיתונאי חסן אצליח מחטיבת חאן יונס" [IDF confirms: We attacked terrorist-journalist Hassan Aslih from the Khan Yunis Brigade]. Srugim (in Hebrew). 7 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Palestine: At least 166 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza". International Federation of Journalists. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-06-02.