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WARNING: This story contains details of a man burning alive.
Nidaa Mansour was absorbed in her phone when she received an alarming news alert about an Israeli airstrike that struck a tent used by local journalists in southern Gaza, igniting a fire within the tent.
In a state of panic, she called her husband, Ahmad Mansour, a journalist and editor for Palestine Today, who was inside the tent in Khan Younis at the time. Unable to reach him, she subsequently learned that he had been taken to the hospital, though the specifics of his condition were unclear.
This week, harrowing footage surfaced online appearing to show Mansour being consumed by flames while seated, at one moment even raising his arms in desperation.
“Ahmad burned in front of the whole world,” Nidaa stated during his funeral on Tuesday. “The whole world saw him burning, yet no one could help.”
In the video, a man is seen rushing towards Mansour, attempting to pull him away from the flames, while bystanders tried to extinguish the fire with limited water and blankets. The onlookers’ screams conveyed their horror and disbelief as they witnessed the tragic scene unfold.
“Dear God,” exclaimed one person who captured the moment on video.
The footage, which CBC News has reviewed but opted not to broadcast due to its graphic nature, showcased a tragic event as Ahmad, 32, was initially hospitalized in critical condition due to extensive burns. He succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Alongside Mansour, journalist Helmi al-Faqawi and another individual lost their lives in the Israeli airstrike targeting the media tent early on Monday. Nine additional people, including Mansour, suffered injuries in the attack, which took place within a compound at Nasser Hospital.
Nidaa, 28, recounted how she had urged her husband to evacuate the area after hearing warnings of imminent airstrikes. He assured her he would leave shortly before the airstrike occurred.
“He never returned,” she said. “I made multiple attempts to contact him, but he didn’t answer.”
Mansour leaves behind three children
Upon arriving at Nasser Hospital, where her husband was treated, Nidaa was initially unable to see him.
“I still held some hope that he was alive,” she expressed. However, when she was eventually allowed to visit him, she found his condition deeply distressing.
During the funeral, colleagues carried Ahmad’s body, covered in a white shroud with his blue flak jacket resting atop, on a medical stretcher. Nidaa knelt beside him, reciting the Qur’an as mourners, including his two sons aged 1 and 6 and a 5-year-old daughter, gathered around.
WATCH | Nidaa Mansour speaks at her husband’s funeral:
Wife of Palestinian journalist killed after being engulfed in flames speaks at his funeral
Nidaa Mansour expressed her sorrow at her husband’s death, stating it occurred following an Israeli strike that hit the media tent in Khan Younis. The shocking images of Ahmad engulfed in flames circulated widely online.
In a statement released on Monday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) explained the airstrike was aimed at Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih (Eslayeh), purportedly a member of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade masquerading as a journalist, although they have not provided any evidence to substantiate this claim.
The statement alleged that Aslih was involved in documenting and disseminating content related to looting and violence during the Hamas-led offensives against Israel on October 7, 2023. However, a review of Aslih’s Instagram account by CBC News did not reveal any such posts. Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Gaza government media office, has refuted the accusations against Aslih, asserting that he had no political ties.
Other journalists killed
This attack on the media tent occurred shortly after the death of another journalist, Islam Meqdad, who was killed alongside her husband and child.
The death of Mansour has brought the toll of journalists killed in Israel’s Gaza campaign since October 2023 to 211, as reported by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in the U.S., condemned the assault in a statement made on Monday.
“This marks yet another instance of Israel targeting a tent housing journalists in Gaza. The international community’s inaction has permitted these assaults on the press to persist without accountability, jeopardizing efforts to hold those responsible accountable,” stated Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“CPJ urges authorities to facilitate the immediate evacuation of the injured for necessary medical attention and to cease attacks on Gaza’s beleaguered press corps.”
The IDF maintained that it undertook “numerous measures” prior to the strike to minimize civilian harm, citing the use of accurate munitions along with aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was disrupted on March 18, following the resumption of air and ground assaults on Gaza after a 42-day truce phase that notably halted significant fighting.
According to Palestinian officials, the ongoing Israeli offensive has resulted in more than 50,000 Palestinian deaths, with many more believed to be trapped beneath rubble, according to reports from the Palestinian Civil Defence.
The Israeli military campaign commenced after Hamas-led forces attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 251 individuals, as per Israeli estimates.
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