Journalists Syndicate Awards Wael Al Dahdouh Freedom of Press Award

Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate awarded Wael Al-Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist and bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza City, with the Freedom of Journalism Award. Just yesterday, the veteran journalist lost his son, Hamza Al Dahdouh, to an Israeli airstrike while en route to an assignment in southern Gaza, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Hamza Al Dahdouh is the fifth member of his family to be murdered since October 7th, following the murder of Wael Al Dahdouh’s wife, two other children and a grandson, in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp on October 28th.

Al-Dahdouh has become a symbol of Palestinian resilience and journalistic integrity as he continues to show up and report live, even when his personal tragedies become the news. The veteran journalist returned to work just one day after his immediate family was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, stating, “I believe it was my duty to return to work as soon as possible.”

Al Dahdouh has been the face of Al Jazeera’s 24-hour coverage of this escalated genocide since October 7th. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 79 journalists and media workers have been confirmed dead since October 7th—72 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese. The NGO also highlighted the heightened risks faced by journalists in Gaza, including the challenges of covering the Israeli ground assault, devastating airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages.

This award, according to the syndicate, comes as a tribute to the martyrs of Palestinian journalism, who sacrificed their lives to convey the truth and expose the crimes of genocide against the Palestinian people. They also exposed, through their steadfastness, the false Zionist narrative and the lies of Western media in continuing to stand up for the truth.