A Gaza-based producer for CNN said Monday that nine of his relatives were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in the northern Gaza Strip—the same day a separate strike leveled his family’s home.
In an article on the destruction, CNN called Sunday a “dark day” for the family of Ibrahim Dahman, a 36-year-old journalist who reported from Gaza for over a month after Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid before he evacuated to Egypt with his pregnant wife and kids.
Sunday’s fatal strike hit a building where Dahman’s aunt lived in Beit Lahia, CNN reported, about three miles from the nearest checkpoint on Gaza’s northern border with Israel.
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Killed in the strike was Dahman’s uncle, the uncle’s wife, daughter and two grandchildren, as well as his aunt, her husband and two children, CNN reported. At least two other relatives were said to be critically injured, and others are feared to be still trapped under rubble.
Dahman, who previously documented his own struggles to evacuate Gaza, told CNN that his loved ones had no connection to Hamas or any other group.
“They were extremely peaceful and simple people, and their entire lives were devoted solely to work and raising their sons and daughters,” he said. “They have no affiliation with any organization or group.”
CNN reported that footage of the airstrike was shared online, which showed smoke billowing from the destroyed structure. Dahman said some of his loved ones called the building home, while others had sought refuge there after recent close calls with airstrikes elsewhere in the strip.
Shortly before he learned of the deadly blast, Dahman said his brother told him that his family’s home in Gaza City—where both he and his children were born and raised—was also destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
“Unfortunately, I left all my memories, my belongings, and the gifts that my bosses sent me at work in this house, all of which were lost under the rubble now,” he said. “I will never be able to forget every stone and corner of the house.”
Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground operation in Gaza has largely been concentrated in the strip’s north, which is home to Gaza City and the bulk of its population.
Israel has repeatedly warned Gazans to evacuate to the strip’s south, but many roads have become inoperable and unsafe due to the frequency of airstrikes, Palestinian authorities say.
Dozens of journalists and their families have been killed in the conflict, making it one of the most dangerous wars in history for reporters to cover on the ground. Just last month, the Al Jazeera reporter Wael Al-Dahdouh learned that his wife and two kids were killed by an airstrike as he reported live on air.
Dahman addressed these dangers himself on CNN, previously telling the network from Gaza that “nothing compares” to the civilian loss of life in this conflict. Palestinian authorities claim that over over 15,000 non-combatants have been killed in Gaza.
“I’ve covered many wars through the years. Nothing compares to the current conflict,” Dahman said on air. “Entire quarters in Gaza have been eviscerated, thousands of women, children and elderly have perished.”
“I am also haunted by our unknown fate: Where will we go from here? What is our future?”
