Al Jazeera’s cameraman killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza's Khan Younis district

By Zeynep Tufekci Guney and Mehmet Nuri Ucar

ISTANBUL (AA) – Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, who was injured due to Israeli attacks on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, lost his life on Friday.

Abu Daqqa was injured due to shrapnel as a result of Israel’s attacks near the Ferkhane School, Al Jazeera announced.

After being injured, Abu Daqqa took refuge in an area near Ferkhane School, where the attacks continued, and ambulances could not enter the area surrounded by Israeli forces.

First aid teams were not allowed to enter the besieged area for hours to intervene and treat the journalist who was bleeding. He could not be taken to the hospital.

Also, three civil defense workers who tried to intervene to help Abu Daqqa and other injured people trapped in the school also lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attack, according to information from local sources.

- ‘I can only sleep about 3 hours a day’

Pictures of Abu Daqqa during his last shots near Ferkhane School were shared on social media.

In these pictures, Abu Daqqa's sleepless state is noticeable, and when a journalist friend asked him for how long he has not slept, Abu Daqqa replied: "I can only sleep about 3 hours a day," expressing his wishes for the health and well-being of all press colleagues.

Al Jazeera TV cameraman Abu Daqqa was injured along with Gaza reporter Wael ed-Dahduh due to shrapnel hitting them, during the attack by Israeli forces near the Ferkhane School, where displaced people in Khan Younis were staying.

Dahduh, who was injured in the hand, arm, shoulder, and abdomen, was taken to Al-Nasr Hospital in Khan Younis, while the school where Abu Daqqa sought refuge and the area surrounding the school were besieged by Israeli forces.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul