Al Jazeera says journalist killed by drone strike while reporting from Gaza

Mourners react as they attend the funeral of Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, who according to the Arabic broadcaster was killed by an Israeli drone strike on Friday while reporting on the earlier bombing of a school sheltering displaced people but Israel's military did not respond to a request for comment, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 16, 2023. REUTERS/Bassam Masoud

A cameraman for the Arabic news network Al Jazeera was killed by a drone strike Friday while covering the war in Gaza, Al Jazeera said.  

Cameraman Samer Abudaqa was unable to get to safety or medical treatment after being injured in the strike on the Farhana School in Khan Younis and died of his wounds before ambulances were allowed in the area, Al Jazeera said. He was 45.

The Arabic network said Israel launched the airstrike. Details of the incident could not be independently verified. 

The Israeli military has not commented on the matter.

"Following Samer's injury, he was left to bleed to death for over five hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment," Al Jazeera said in a statement.

The journalists were reporting from Khan Younis, which has been the focus of Israel's ground offensive over the past few days.