Incitement Campaign Targeted Journalist Hassan Isleih Before Airstrike Hit Him in Gaza
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Journalist Hassan Isleih was the target of a months-long incitement campaign before an Israeli airstrike hit a press tent in Khan Younis aiming at murdering him. The attack killed one journalist, a civilian, and injured seven others, including Isleih. Horrifying footage showed journalists burning alive, triggering global outrage.
The campaign against Isleih started with Israeli media, and online platforms. They accused him of ties to Hamas. One claim cited a photo with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Another alleged he carried a grenade on October 7, a claim unsupported by any visual evidence. Accounts linked ti the Palestinian Authorities also took part in the Israeli campaign.
Digital rights group Sada Social documented the incitement. Researcher Ibrahim Al-Hajj noted that these claims—though unproven—led major news outlets like CNN and AP to cut ties with Isleih.
Following the incitement campaign, Isleih, whose house had been already bombarded, received waves of death threats online. Israeli users told him to hide. A former soldier from the extremist Netzah Yehuda battalion even wrote, “The missile is on its way to your head.”
The digital incitement created a climate that justified his targeting.
Israel resumed the genocide in Gaza on March 18, breaking a two-month ceasefire. Since October 7, Israeli attacks—backed by the U.S. and Europe—have killed or injured more than 166,000 Palestinians. Over 14,000 remain missing. They also killed 210 journalists.
Press freedom groups continue to warn that journalists in Gaza are under direct threat. Isleih is one of dozens who have been targeted since the genocide began.
