After a joint investigation with Shin Bet, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed that three hostages were held in the home of Al-Jazeera journalist Abdullah al-Jamal, a member of Hamas.
“Three hostages were held in Abdullah al-Jamal's house, along with his family members. This further demonstrates that Hamas uses the civilian population as human shields,” stated the press service.
Almog Meir Jan, Andrei Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, who were held in al-Jamal’s home, spent eight months in Hamas captivity and were released by the IDF on June 8 during Operation Arnon.
Israeli media reported earlier that Noa Argamani, kidnapped during the Nova festival massacre on October 7, was also held in the al-Jamal family’s house and freed during Operation Arnon.
Reports indicate the house belonged to 74-year-old Dr. Ahmad al-Jamal and his wife Fatima, the parents of Abdullah al-Jamal. Abdullah's sister, 27-year-old Zeinab, also lived there.
Euro-Med Monitor, a self-described human rights organization, reported that Israeli soldiers stormed Dr. Ahmad al-Jamal’s home using a ladder. His wife, 36-year-old Fatima al-Jamal, and his son Abdullah were killed during the assault. Zeinab was seriously injured. Children in the house at the time were not harmed during the operation.
Abdullah al-Jamal had worked for various publications, including as a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Labor, and most recently as a cameraman and photographer for Al-Jazeera. Arab and Palestinian sources accuse Israel of killing “uninvolved civilians” during the “prisoner release” operation.
