National Press Club hands Al Jazeera’s Wael Dahdouh press freedom award

Gaza bureau main continues to activity contempt injuries and ‘unspeakable individual tragedies’ amid Israel’s bombardment.

The National Press Club has handed its apical grant for property state to Al Jazeera’s Wael Dahdouh.

The Washington-based organisation said successful a connection that nan John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award will beryllium presented to nan Gaza bureau main astatine a gala connected November 21.

The connection noted that Dahdouh continued to study from nan enclave, which has now been nether Israeli bombardment for much than a year, contempt suffering “unspeakable individual tragedies” during his work.

Just weeks aft nan commencement of nan war, Dahdouh was informed while unrecorded connected aerial that an Israeli aerial onslaught connected nan Nuseirat exile campy had killed his wife, his seven-year-old girl and his 15-year-old son, along pinch different family members.

Another son, Hamza, who was besides an Al Jazeera reporter, was killed by a drone onslaught successful January.

Dahdouh was wounded by shrapnel successful December arsenic nan Al Jazeera squad covered drone attacks connected a schoolhouse sheltering displaced Palestinians. He was evacuated retired of nan besieged enclave to person aesculapian treatment.

His cameraman, Samer Abudaqa, bled retired complete respective hours arsenic Israeli attacks prevented ambulances from reaching him.

“Despite his beingness and affectional wounds, Dahdouh remains resilient arsenic he useful to recover,” National Press Club President Emily Wilkins, who flew to Berlin to coming him pinch his grant successful personification arsenic a motion of committedness to his case, said successful a statement.

“His endurance, spot and perseverance are an inspiration for reporters astir nan world.

“The nine continues to conflict for Aubuchon honorees agelong aft nan gala ends. We will activity until they are freed from situation aliases find justness successful a tribunal – nary matter if it takes months, years aliases decades. We guidelines by our honorees and we will guidelines by Wael Dahdouh,” Wilkins said.

Latest confirmed figures by nan New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists show that astatine slightest 137 journalists and media workers person been killed since nan commencement of nan warfare connected Gaza, pinch existent numbers believed to beryllium overmuch higher.

The overwhelming mostly person been Palestinian journalists successful Gaza, but respective Lebanese journalists person besides been killed successful Israeli attacks. Two Israeli journalists were killed connected October 7, 2023 successful nan Hamas-led attacks.