A Gaza journalist writing for Al Jazeera held three hostages in his home with his family, Israel says

A Gaza-based journalist writing for Al Jazeera held three hostages in his home before he was killed by Israeli commandos during a rescue operation on Saturday, according to the Israeli military.

Abdallah Aljamal, who also worked as a spokesman for the Hamas-run Ministry of Labor, was killed when special forces soldiers stormed his house in central Gaza and rescued hostages Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, the Israeli military said.

Aljamal’s death was initially reported by Rami Abdu, director of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, who claimed that Israel Defense Forces soldiers stormed the journalist’s home and killed him and several members of his family.

The Israeli military confirmed that Aljamal was holding the hostages in his family home, but did not mention what happened to his relatives.

“This is further evidence that the terrorist organization Hamas is using civilians as human shields,” the IDF said in a statement.

Aljamal had already written a column for Al Jazeera in 2019. The Qatar-based media outlet stated that Aljamal had never been employed there.

Before his death, Aljamal worked for the news magazine Palestine Chronicle, where he wrote numerous articles about the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli offensive.

Many of his recent stories have revolved around the ongoing IDF operation in Nuseirat, where his own house was located and where, Israeli intelligence had discovered, he was holding three of the four hostages rescued on Saturday near a refugee camp.

The Palestine Chronicle is a nonprofit organization based in Washington State whose goal is to provide daily news from Gaza.

The media outlet claims its team consists of “professional journalists and respected writers and authors who do not speak on behalf of any political party or represent any particular political agenda.”

The organization confirmed on Sunday that Aljamal was reporting as a field staff member in Gaza, but did not mention that he was holding three hostages.

The outlet did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Many of Aljamal’s recent articles for the Palestinian Chronicle have focused on the ongoing IDF operation in Nuseirat, where his own house was located and where, according to Israeli intelligence, he was holding three of the four hostages rescued on Saturday near a refugee camp.

In addition to the three men, Israeli forces also rescued Noa Argamani, the 26-year-old Israeli woman who became the fearsome face of the October 7 terrorist attack on the Jewish state.