Reporter Ismail Abu Omar and photographer Ahmed Matar were seriously injured as a result of being targeted by an Israeli march (Al Jazeera)
Gaza -
On Tuesday afternoon, Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Abu Omar and the photographer accompanying him, Ahmed Matar, were completing the mission of covering the targeting of a number of displaced people by bombing in the Mirage area, north of the city of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, when an Israeli drone attacked them directly.
The two journalists were seriously injured, and the targeting led to the amputation of Abu Omar's right leg and the severe injury of his left leg, while Matar was seriously injured in one of his hands and had shrapnel all over his body.
Abu Omar and Matar are known among their colleagues for their courage and activity, and journalists call Ismail “the man of the field” in view of his activity and “unlimited ambition, and his ability to perform difficult and quick tasks.”
As for Matar, his colleagues call him “the photo artist.” He is distinguished by experience, activity, courage, and creativity in cinematography and documentary photography, and they describe him as one of the best photojournalists in the Gaza Strip.
Who is Abu Omar?
Ismail Abu Omar is a 38-year-old Palestinian journalist, hailing from the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis Governorate. Married with 3 children. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and media, and began his career as an activist on the Internet and social networking sites.
In 2008, Abu Omar joined the local “Voice of Al-Aqsa” radio station as a newspaper editor in the newsroom. Later, he moved to the correspondents department to become a radio correspondent in Khan Yunis Governorate.
Abu Omar was distinguished by his activity and professionalism, as he covered many important events during his journalistic career, such as the wars of 2012 and 2014, the border marches of return, the “Saif al-Quds” battle in 2021, and finally the current Israeli war.
Abu Omar was injured twice during his press coverage near the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, the first on June 8, 2018, when he was hit by a gas bomb in the back fired by the occupation forces. The second was on September 13, 2023, weeks before the current war, with a gas bomb in his chest.
Reporter Ismail Abu Omar was known among his colleagues as the man of the field (Al Jazeera)
Active and talented
Journalist Muhammad Salama says that his friend Abu Omar was “one of the most active and loyal colleagues, and he continued his work late hours.”
He added to Al Jazeera Net, "I used to call him at two o'clock in the morning and I found him present, and I found that he had an information bank, keen to provide accurate information, and to be close to the events and interested in all developments."
He stated that he is characterized by "talent, seeks creativity and development, is one of those who have mastered the art of listening, and follows all international and local news agencies on a permanent basis."
In addition to his radio work, Abu Omar worked as a journalist, publishing his reports in the local Al-Resala newspaper.
Salama believes that Abu Omar’s work with Al Jazeera was distinguished, and he was able to become “the voice of Khan Yunis and Gaza,” through which he exposes the crimes of the occupation and conveys the suffering of the people.”
He adds that Abu Omar succeeded in his work as a correspondent in Khan Yunis, because he is “a son of the city, knows its streets and alleys, is highly respected by its residents, and does not lack courage.”
Despite his boldness and courage, Salama points out that Abu Omar was careful to observe safety rules, including wearing a clear press badge and a protective shield.
Speed in coverage
In turn, journalist Rami Khreis, editor-in-chief of the local Palestine newspaper and a friend of Abu Omar, says that he is "an ambitious personality and this is what prompted him to work with Al Jazeera. He performed difficult tasks, and his coverage was distinctive and bold."
Khreis points out some of Abu Omar’s important coverage, including the occupation forces’ exhumation of a grave, as well as his coverage of the bombing and targeting in the western Khan Yunis area.
He added to Al Jazeera Net, "His coverage of the cemetery exhumation incident was very bold, distinctive, and fast, as he went to a dangerous area." He continued, "He would approach the borders of the operations areas, and sometimes to the heart of the city, such as Nasser Hospital, and the sites of clashes. He would prepare important reports and outperform many reporters, because he was the man of the field."
He added, "As a viewer, and not as a friend and colleague, I was interested in following up on his reports and messages on Al Jazeera, because he actually provided details of interest to the citizen."
He points out that his targeting was intentional because he revealed many of the occupation’s crimes very quickly, and after a limited period of their occurrence, in audio and video.
Rami Khreis, a friend of Abu Omar, said that his targeting was intentional because of his speed in covering the crimes of the occupation (Al Jazeera)
A special relationship with sources
Over the course of 17 years, journalist Muhammad Ballour forged a distinguished friendship relationship with journalist Abu Omar. Bloor told Al Jazeera Net, "Ismail is a distinguished young man as a human being, before he became a journalist, as he is polite, very polite, and humble." He agreed with his colleagues that Abu Omar is distinguished by his great boldness.
He also points out that he is distinguished by his distinguished relationships with official, factional and field sources, which has made him a successful and distinguished journalist.
Journalist Muhammad Ballour, friend of colleague Ismail Abu Omar (Al Jazeera)
Ahmed Matar
For his part, journalist Nafez Abu Libdeh, a friend of the wounded photographer Ahmed Matar, refers to some aspects of his life. He told Al Jazeera Net, "Matar is about 40 years old, a resident of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, and holds a diploma in photojournalism from the local Palestine Technical College in 2008."
He stated that he began his work at the private Ramattan media agency, as a photographer and producer, and graduated as a photographer with several important channels, before working with Al Jazeera during the current war.
He mentioned that Matar was classified as one of the best photographers, which qualified him to go on foreign photography missions, including covering the reconciliation tours between the Fatah and Hamas movements in Egypt and Algeria, as well as traveling as part of the Hajj media delegation.
Abu Lebda said that Matar is distinguished by experience, high professionalism, and activity, adding, "It is possible that he will reach the first ranks of the events, and he has previously been injured in the border marches of return."
Video scenes documenting the first moments after photojournalist Ahmed Matar arrived at the hospital with a serious injury as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted a group of journalists north of #Rafah #Gaza_War #Video pic.twitter.com/qjODsyZXpv
- Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) February 13, 2024
Cinematic and documentary
In addition to his excellence in photojournalism, Matar is distinguished by his proficiency in cinematography and documentary photography. Abu Libdeh says, "Matar participated in filming dramatic works, and he is one of the few photographers who are proficient in using movie cameras, and he is chosen to film these works."
Among these works, according to Abu Libdeh, are “the series The Soul, Fist of the Free, Path of Redemption (its first and second parts), and Heaven’s Gate, in addition to filming documentaries about prisoners in occupation prisons.”
Source: Al Jazeera