Jack Mirkinson / The Huffington Post – 2012-11-16 12:40:38
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/jihad-misharawi-bbc-omar-gaza_n_2137797.html
Jihad Misharawi, BBC Journalist,
Loses Son Omar In Israeli Strike On Gaza
Jack Mirkinson / The Huffington Post
(November 16, 2012) — The infant son of a BBC journalist was killed by an Israeli air strike on Gaza on Wednesday night. The BBC said that Jihad Misharawi, who works for the BBC Arabic service, lost his 11-month son Omar after their house was hit by shrapnel. Misharawi’s brother was also injured.
Violence in Gaza has intensified after Israel killed the military chief of Hamas on Wednesday. Omar was one of at least 15 Palestinians killed. Three Israelis have also died from rocket attacks.
Pictures of Misharawi holding Omar were splashed across front pages like the Washington Post’s on Thursday:
Misharawi spoke to a fellow BBC journalist while surrounded by a crowd of people.
“What did my son do to die like this?” he said. “What was his mistake? He is ten or eleven months old. What did he do?”
In a statement [see statement below], the BBC said, “”Our thoughts are with Jihad and the rest of the team in Gaza. This is a particularly difficult moment for the whole bureau in Gaza. We’re fortunate to have such a committed and courageous team there. It’s a sobering reminder of the challenges facing many of our colleagues.”
Omar was later buried.
Baby Son of BBC Worker Killed in Gaza Strike
BBC Statement
Jihad Misharawi, who is employed by BBC Arabic, lost his 11-month-old baby Omar.
Mr Misharawi’s brother was also seriously injured when his house was struck in the Israeli operation and his sister in law was killed.
Israel killed a Hamas military chief during the series of air strikes on Gaza on Wednesday, prompting Palestinian militants to warn that the Jewish state had opened “the gates of hell”.
Israel has warned it was only the start of an operation targeting militant groups in Gaza, which comes as the Jewish state prepares for general elections in January.
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