DOHA: Al Jazeera condemned the Wednesday killing of two of its journalists in an Israeli strike on Gaza, calling the deaths a “cold-blooded assassination” in a statement.
The Qatar-based news outlet said its Arabic channel correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al Rifi were “targeted by Israeli occupation forces” during their coverage of Gaza’s Al-Shati refugee camp.
“This latest attack on Al Jazeera journalists is part of a systematic targeting campaign against the network’s journalists and their families since October 2023,” Al Jazeera added.
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, Al Jazeera has aired continuous on-the-ground reporting on the effects of Israel’s campaign.
The network’s office in Gaza has already been bombed in the conflict and two other correspondents killed.
Al Jazeera said Ghoul and Rifi’s killings showed “the urgent need for immediate legal action against the occupation forces.”
The channel said it would “pursue all legal actions to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and stands in unwavering solidarity with all journalists in Gaza.”
In a statement, Hamas condemned the killings as a “heinous crime” which it said was “aimed at terrorizing and silencing” Palestinian journalists as they reported “the ongoing genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip for nearly ten months.”
Al Jazeera has been the focus of months of criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
Last month, an Israeli court confirmed it had extended a ban on the network, which broadcasts in Arabic and English, initially placed on Al Jazeera in early May.
The spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killings and said the incident and others like it “must be fully and transparently investigated and there must be accountability.”
In January, Israel said an Al Jazeera staff journalist and a freelancer killed in an air strike in Gaza were “terror operatives.”
The following month, it accused another journalist with the channel who was wounded in a separate strike of being a “deputy company commander” with Hamas.
Al Jazeera has fiercely denied Israel’s allegations and accused it of systematically targeting Al Jazeera employees in the Gaza Strip.
Its bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh, was wounded in an Israeli strike in December that killed the network’s cameraman.
His wife, two of their children and a grandson were killed in the October bombardment of central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.
His eldest son was the Al Jazeera staff journalist killed in January when a strike targeted a car in Rafah.
Al Jazeera condemns ‘assassination’ of its two journalists in Israeli strikes
https://arab.news/85ebb
Al Jazeera condemns ‘assassination’ of its two journalists in Israeli strikes
- Attack part of systematic targeting campaign against network’s journalists and their families since October, it says
Saudi Arabia strengthens global ranking in 2026 Soft Power Index
- UAE maintains 10th place, Qatar climbs 2 spots
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia climbed three positions to 17th place in this year’s Soft Power Index, released on Tuesday by marketing consultancy Brand Finance.
Other Gulf nations also performed well, with the UAE maintaining its 10th-place ranking and Qatar and Bahrain each climbing two spots to No. 20 and No. 49, respectively, marking a rebound for the region after a softer showing in 2025.
The report indicates that the performance reflects sustained investment in proactive diplomacy, economic diversification and expanded initiatives across culture, tourism and sports.
It also comes at a time when several Western powers are recording declines in their rankings, highlighting the growing influence of Gulf states.
“The UAE remains a clear regional leader, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have strengthened their global positions through focused economic diplomacy and international engagement,” said Savio D’Souza, managing director for the Middle East and Africa, Brand Finance.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE either maintained or improved their rankings across all key pillars, including familiarity, reputation and influence.
The Kingdom recorded notable gains, with increases of 25 points in the People & Values pillar and 12 points in the Culture & Heritage pillar.
“Although perceptions across some markets remain mixed, renewed upward movement in the rankings suggests that targeted, long-term soft power strategies are beginning to pay off,” D’Souza said.
Globally, the US retained its top position despite recording the steepest overall decline in its score, followed by China in second place. Japan rose to third place, overtaking the UK, which ranked fourth, while Germany placed fifth.
Brand Finance defines “soft power” as a “nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.”
Each nation is assessed across 55 individual metrics, producing an overall score out of 100 and a ranking from first to 193rd.
