Palestinian journalist Wael al Dahdouh has arrived in Qatar to receive medical treatment for hand injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike last month.
The veteran journalist and Al Jazeera’s Gaza chief of bureau arrived in Egypt on Tuesday through the Rafah crossing and then left for Qatar in an evacuation plane. Dahdouh was allowed to travel as a result of a special request for his medical treatment by the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo.
In an interview with Egyptian news channel, Al-Qahera News, he said, “Today marks the beginning of my treatment journey… We will return to our work after treating my hand. We appreciate any efforts made by Egypt, as well as other countries that support our people’s rights. Hopefully, these efforts will culminate in the return of rights to the Palestinian people, and these wars and pains will come to an end.”
In a video posted by Al Jazeera’s Managing Editor, Mohammad Maowad on X, Dahdouh was seen receiving an emotional welcome in the Qatari capital of Doha.
“Just now we welcomed our esteemed colleague, Wael Al Dahdouh, to Doha as he arrives to receive medical treatment. Wael’s unwavering dedication during his coverage in Gaza, where he tragically lost his family, is a testament to his resilience and commitment,” Moawad posted on X.
“We stand united in support, offering our heartfelt wishes for his recovery and well-being,” he wrote.
Attack on Dahdouh
On December 15, Dahdouh along with his colleague, cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, were covering the Israeli bombardment on Farhanah School in the southern city of Khan Yunis when they heard an explosion. While Daqqa was killed, Dahdouh escaped with hand injuries. He resumed work soon after the attack. Last week, he was awarded the 2024 Freedom of the Press Award for his coverage of the ongoing Gaza-Israel war by the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo.
Deep personal loss
The Palestinian journalist has suffered deep personal loss in the ongoing war with the Israeli airstrikes killing his family including his wife, Amna, his 15-year-old son Mahmoud, 7 year old daughter, Sham and a year old grandson, Adam in October last year. On January 7, Dahdouh was struck another blow when he lost his eldest son, 27-year-old Hamza Al Dahdouh, in a targeted airstrike when the vehicle the journalist was travelling in with his colleague Mustafa Thuraya was hit. The duo was returning from an assignment in Rafah when they were killed.
In an emotional interview at his son’s funeral, Dahdouh said, “Hamza was not part of me. He was all of me.”
“To Hamza and to all the martyrs I say we will remain faithful. This is the road that we have chosen consciously. We have offered much, we have offered a lot of blood because this is our destiny. We shall continue,” he added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as of January 16, 2024, at least 83 journalists and media workers were among the more than 25,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 24,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel.
