Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat killed in Israeli attack in Gaza

His writing was lyrical and arresting. I struggled to translate and edit his pieces – to do them justice, to convey his emotive use of Arabic into something relatable in English,

his editor Sharif Abdel Kouddous said in publishing Shabat’s last article “through tears” for Drop Site

By God, I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to report the truth, and now, I am finally at rest – something I haven’t known in the past 18 months,

Shabat said in his posthumous message

In the typical editorial see-saw back and forth of finalizing a piece, I would often return to him with clarifications and questions, asking him for additional details and direct quotes,

Kouddous continued

When this all began, I was only 21 years old – a college student with dreams like anyone else,

he wrote

Hossam was not just a brother or a passing journalist, but a pure soul walking the earth, an influential journalist and a symbol of northern Gaza,

said Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, who posted several graphic clips on X showing the immediate aftermath of the attack on his 24-year-old friend and colleague

I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away,

he said

Hussam Shabat, a journalist collaborating with Al Jazeera Mubasher, was martyred in an Israeli strike targeting his car in the northern Gaza Strip,

an alert from the Qatari broadcaster said, referring to its live Arabic channel

Avichay Adraeemilitary spokesman

Terrorist organizations are once again returning to and firing rockets from populated areas... For your safety, head south toward the known shelters immediately,

Adraee said on X, after issuing similar warnings for the northern towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun

This horrific war crime aims to obscure the truth and terrorise all those who carry the message of free speech,

it added