An Al Jazeera cameraman has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, sources confirm, as the UK government issues a plea for de-escalation. The journalist, identified as Ahmad al-Hayek, 38, died in hospital on Wednesday night after shrapnel from a missile strike tore through a residential block in Gaza City. He was filming civil defence crews trying to extinguish fires from an earlier attack.
The death brings the number of journalists killed in the current conflict to at least 12, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Al Jazeera called for an independent investigation, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting media personnel. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they were looking into the incident but stressed that Hamas uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
The UK Foreign Office said it was 'deeply concerned' and urged both sides to step back from the brink. But with the death toll mounting, diplomatic pleas are sounding hollow. The prime minister is under pressure to halt arms sales to Israel, but insiders say no such action is imminent.
In Gaza, medics are operating without anaesthetic. The body of al-Hayek was wrapped in a press vest before burial. His camera, still rolling when it hit the ground, captured the final frame.
A colleague retrieved the memory card. It now sits in a drawer in Doha.